Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date the most recent assessment of the classification of cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was conducted; and what evidence base was considered in reaching the conclusions of that assessment.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government has not made an assessment of the classification of cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Ministers have a statutory obligation to receive and consider advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (‘ACMD’) before seeking to make changes to the classification of drugs. It is our understanding that the most recent assessment of the classification of cannabis was undertaken in 2008. This followed a review by the ACMD in that year.

The then government published its response to the ACMD review setting out the reason for its classification decision at that time.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of potential impact of pet pesticide products on the environment.

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

The Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR) 2013, as amended, ensure that all veterinary medicines undergo rigorous scientific assessment, including environmental risk assessments, before being authorised for use. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has formed the Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group as a UK cross-government platform to enable discussion and knowledge exchange relating to pharmaceuticals in the environment from human, veterinary and, where there is cross over, agricultural and non-agricultural sources. They have recently set out a roadmap of activities to address the levels of fipronil and imidacloprid detected in UK waterways.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to increase transparency around use of pesticides by local authorities.

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

The Government’s first priority with regard to pesticides is to ensure that they will not harm people or animal health or pose unacceptable risks to the environment.

There is a legal requirement to minimise the use of pesticides along roads and in areas used by the public. It is for each Local Authority to decide the best way of delivering effective and cost-effective weed control in its operations while protecting people and the environment.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support local authorities to (a) reduce and (b) replace their use of pesticides.

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

The Government’s first priority with regard to pesticides is to ensure that they will not harm people or animal health or pose unacceptable risks to the environment.

There is a legal requirement to minimise the use of pesticides along roads and in areas used by the public. It is for each Local Authority to decide the best way of delivering effective and cost-effective weed control in its operations while protecting people and the environment.

Earlier this year, I met with local authorities to hear about their experiences implementing sustainable practices in urban environments. This highlighted the importance of peer-to-peer learning, and Defra will continue to strongly encourage local authorities to share knowledge to promote best practice.

Defra also funded the recent publication of Parks for London’s Integrated Weed Management guide.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to continue supporting the implementation of NHS England’s acute aortic dissection toolkit after the proposed abolition of NHS England.

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

The Department will continue to support the implementation of NHS England’s acute aortic dissection toolkit.

In 2022, NHS England published the Acute Aortic Dissection Toolkit to support service transformation across England. Initial implementation support was provided by NHS England’s national team, however, responsibility for implementation has now transitioned to regional commissioning teams and integrated care boards, to oversee and monitor progress. The toolkit includes self-assessment questionnaires for providers and clinical networks to use as part of their assurance and monitoring processes. In collaboration with the EARNEST trial, NHS England will undertake a stocktake of implementation progress across centres, the findings of which will be shared with regional commissioning teams and clinical networks to support any follow up actions as required.

NHS England’s national team is now working with the vascular and cardiac professional societies to develop a type B, elective aortic dissection toolkit, which is anticipated for publication in 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to support the continued (a) development and (b) implementation of NHS England’s elective toolkit given NHS England's planned abolition.

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

The NHS England Elective toolkit does not have one single function, as there are multiple different toolkits available. For example, the Children and young people’s elective recovery toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time toolkit, to support the development of elective surgical hubs.

As part of the transformation programme, we are reviewing the appropriate options to merge existing functions between NHS England and the Department, to ensure we maintain progress on tackling the elective waiting list. We will continue to support the wider system through the transformation and will ensure they have the tools and resources available to deliver on the commitments outlined by the Government.

Cutting elective care waiting lists is a key priority for the Government, and the steps we have taken have resulted in a 220,000 reduction in the waiting list over the last year.

We have now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered 5.2 million more appointments. This marks a vital first step to delivering on the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the National Health Service constitutional standard, by March 2029. We will create an NHS fit for the future, modernising care so that it takes place efficiently and closer to home, prioritising patient experience and ensuring that wherever you live in England, you will be seen, diagnosed, and treated in a timely way.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of registered company directors had verified their identity on Companies House by 10 October 2025; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all directors have verified their identity by the time they file their next annual statement.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Over 700,000 individuals have successfully completed step 1 of the IDV process, thereby creating a verified identity. From 18 November, it will be possible to link this information with specific appointments, dependant on the due date of each company’s confirmation statement.

Companies House has undertaken extensive communications to support compliance with the new requirements, including sending over 15 million emails since April 2025 to all active companies at their registered email address. Around 10 million emails have focused specifically on identity verification.

Other communications activity includes a campaign site, paid for advertising, social media and working with various partners.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction in business rate relief on grassroots music venues with a rateable value of over £500,000.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000, including grassroots music venues, from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure they benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

The Government is sustainably funding this by introducing a higher multiplier on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above. When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.

The Government has met with a wide range of stakeholders on business rates reform. The Transforming Business Rates: Interim Report, published on 11 September, brings together extensive feedback from a broad range of stakeholders and outlines the Government’s next steps to deliver a fairer business rates system that supports investment and is fit for the 21st century.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she had held discussions with grassroots music venues on business rates reform.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000, including grassroots music venues, from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure they benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

The Government is sustainably funding this by introducing a higher multiplier on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above. When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.

The Government has met with a wide range of stakeholders on business rates reform. The Transforming Business Rates: Interim Report, published on 11 September, brings together extensive feedback from a broad range of stakeholders and outlines the Government’s next steps to deliver a fairer business rates system that supports investment and is fit for the 21st century.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Bob Blackman (Chair); Jess Brown-Fuller; Jonathan Davies; Mary Glindon

Found: ) Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat, Chichester) (added 13 Nov 2024) 21 of 29 (72.4%) Jonathan Davies

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Bob Blackman (Chair); Jess Brown-Fuller; Jonathan Davies; Mary Glindon