Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of protections for franchisees from changes to their terms and conditions made by franchisors.

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

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) recognises the challenges franchisees can face and is monitoring this area closely. I understand that you recently met with Minister Bryant to discuss this matter, and we anticipate further meetings to take place in the future involving DBT officials.

The franchising industry currently self-regulates through the British Franchise Association, which has a Code of Ethics, and the Quality Franchise Association provides a Code of Conduct.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that hospices receive the funding required to raise staff pay in line with nationally agreed NHS pay rises.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Hospices, as independent organisations, are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment and, therefore, it is for them to determine what is affordable within the financial model they operate and how to recoup any additional costs they face, including what contractual arrangements are reached with their commissioners.

NHS England uprates national allocations in line with the pay rises for integrated care boards (ICBs). It is down to the local contractual arrangements, and whether this includes the increases for pay rises or not, as to what the hospice can afford. There is, therefore, no single model which is consistent across England.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £80 million for children’s and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients.

A number of MPs wrote to me in relation to Hospice UK’s four-point plan for hospice funding. I have responded to this letter.

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and enable ICBs to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care. I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087 I gave to the House on 24 November 2025.

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 regulations governing online political advertisements.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Under existing regulations, campaigners are required to include an imprint with their name and address on printed and digital campaigning material. Imprint rules play an important role in promoting trust in our democratic process by ensuring voters can clearly see who is behind political campaigning material.

The Government is committed to strengthening our democracy and upholding the integrity of elections. As part of this, we intend to add unregistered third-party campaigning organisations to the list of entities who are required to include a digital imprint on their organic digital campaigning material and extend the Electoral Commission’s remit to be the primary enforcer of all imprint rules.

The Government has no plans at this time to introduce a public database for online political advertisements, but welcome the steps taken by social media companies to create “advert libraries”.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to introduce a database inclduing all published online political advertisements.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Under existing regulations, campaigners are required to include an imprint with their name and address on printed and digital campaigning material. Imprint rules play an important role in promoting trust in our democratic process by ensuring voters can clearly see who is behind political campaigning material.

The Government is committed to strengthening our democracy and upholding the integrity of elections. As part of this, we intend to add unregistered third-party campaigning organisations to the list of entities who are required to include a digital imprint on their organic digital campaigning material and extend the Electoral Commission’s remit to be the primary enforcer of all imprint rules.

The Government has no plans at this time to introduce a public database for online political advertisements, but welcome the steps taken by social media companies to create “advert libraries”.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to limit online foreign influence in the UK's democracy.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect our democratic processes from both mis- and disinformation and from foreign interference. Any new regulation addressing mis and disinformation must be carefully balanced with the need to protect freedom of expression and the legitimate public debate which is also crucial to a thriving democracy. Since March, the Online Safety Act has required services to take steps to remove illegal disinformation content. Illegal disinformation content includes state-sponsored disinformation in scope of the Foreign Interference Offence, and disinformation aimed at disrupting elections where it is a criminal offence in scope of the regulatory framework. This can include false statements of fact about a candidate’s personal character or conduct and undue influence on voters.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce, which coordinates work to protect UK political parties, elected officials and electoral infrastructure from threats including foreign interference and the Joint Election Security and Preparedness unit coordinates work to protect UK elections and referendums. The Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan launched last month to disrupt and deter spying from states.

The Government’s strategy for modern, secure and inclusive elections, published in July, sets out our plan to strengthen oversight of and safeguards against known and emerging threats, including foreign interference. We will deliver a robust and proportionate response to known risks, protecting the integrity of our system and reinforcing public trust in democracy.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an estimate of the number of franchises operating in England and Wales between 2015-2024.

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

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold data on franchise numbers.

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 adequacy of the Child Maintenance Service's hotline in responding to concerns raised.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Where a customer makes a complaint, including when an MP contacts DWP on their behalf, DWP complaints service standard (including Child Maintenance Service - CMS) aim is to contact a customer within 15 working days to tell them of the outcome of their complaint, or when they can expect a response if the complaint is complex and will take longer.

The Department actively assesses the adequacy of the timeliness and priority of enquiries received from MPs, which enables us to identify which benefit areas are generating the highest number of enquiries, the underlying reasons for these contacts, and the factors contributing to any delays in responses. Regrettably, higher volumes of MP enquiries, combined with a rise in more complex complaints which take longer to investigate, has caused some delays with our responses.

MPs and their caseworkers can contact the CMS via dedicated routes, in writing or by phone. Contact details are available on the parliamentary website. The CMS MP Hotline is available for MPs and their caseworkers who need to contact CMS regarding a general enquiry or a constituency case.  This service is in addition to written correspondence.

The hotline operates Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and is staffed by Complaint Resolution Managers. We aim to provide an immediate response to enquiries wherever possible. For more complex cases, we will arrange follow-up contact with the MP’s caseworker to discuss or provide additional information.

CMS is committed to delivering a modern, efficient service that meets the needs of all customers.

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 adequacy of the Child Maintenance Service's response times to MPs' queries.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Where a customer makes a complaint, including when an MP contacts DWP on their behalf, DWP complaints service standard (including Child Maintenance Service - CMS) aim is to contact a customer within 15 working days to tell them of the outcome of their complaint, or when they can expect a response if the complaint is complex and will take longer.

The Department actively assesses the adequacy of the timeliness and priority of enquiries received from MPs, which enables us to identify which benefit areas are generating the highest number of enquiries, the underlying reasons for these contacts, and the factors contributing to any delays in responses. Regrettably, higher volumes of MP enquiries, combined with a rise in more complex complaints which take longer to investigate, has caused some delays with our responses.

MPs and their caseworkers can contact the CMS via dedicated routes, in writing or by phone. Contact details are available on the parliamentary website. The CMS MP Hotline is available for MPs and their caseworkers who need to contact CMS regarding a general enquiry or a constituency case.  This service is in addition to written correspondence.

The hotline operates Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and is staffed by Complaint Resolution Managers. We aim to provide an immediate response to enquiries wherever possible. For more complex cases, we will arrange follow-up contact with the MP’s caseworker to discuss or provide additional information.

CMS is committed to delivering a modern, efficient service that meets the needs of all customers.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the Child Maintenance Service's stated response time is for MPs' queries.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Where a customer makes a complaint, including when an MP contacts DWP on their behalf, DWP complaints service standard (including Child Maintenance Service - CMS) aim is to contact a customer within 15 working days to tell them of the outcome of their complaint, or when they can expect a response if the complaint is complex and will take longer.

The Department actively assesses the adequacy of the timeliness and priority of enquiries received from MPs, which enables us to identify which benefit areas are generating the highest number of enquiries, the underlying reasons for these contacts, and the factors contributing to any delays in responses. Regrettably, higher volumes of MP enquiries, combined with a rise in more complex complaints which take longer to investigate, has caused some delays with our responses.

MPs and their caseworkers can contact the CMS via dedicated routes, in writing or by phone. Contact details are available on the parliamentary website. The CMS MP Hotline is available for MPs and their caseworkers who need to contact CMS regarding a general enquiry or a constituency case.  This service is in addition to written correspondence.

The hotline operates Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and is staffed by Complaint Resolution Managers. We aim to provide an immediate response to enquiries wherever possible. For more complex cases, we will arrange follow-up contact with the MP’s caseworker to discuss or provide additional information.

CMS is committed to delivering a modern, efficient service that meets the needs of all customers.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the decibel level of fireworks.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

No current assessment has been made on the merits of reducing decibel levels of fireworks. However, the Government is continuing to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action.

The Government has also launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for the 2025-2026 fireworks season. The campaign highlights the availability of low noise fireworks and includes new guidance for those running community fireworks events and new social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

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 adequacy of the response times to queries made to the Child Maintenance Service by service users.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) are committed to delivering the best possible service to all customers within our growing caseload.

Through the Service Modernisation Programme, CMS is expanding digital channels and self-service options, including online tools like Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance and My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), available 24/7. It has improved speed of communications via use of SMS, email, and clearer letters, and introduced online messaging for certain processes, with plans to extend this further.

Our telephony service is available to 8am to 6pm on weekdays to meet demand. We continuously monitor telephony performance and through this fully recognise that call waiting times are at times longer than we would like. To address this, we are working to improve the efficiency of our customer interactions through both the telephone and digital channels. We have introduced a Digital Assist Telephony Service, which has been a significant step forward in our mission to support and encourage customers to use our online services.

We restructured our call routing to make more caseworkers available to answer telephone calls. By promoting self-service options online and efficient call routing, we have freed up valuable resources to deliver a more responsive service and allow caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone.

CMS continues to exceed key performance indicators, including application clearances, change of circumstances clearances, demonstrating improved outcomes for customers.

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Found: correspondence from the Select Committee Chair, Liam Byrne MP, to the then Business Minister Justin Madders

Found: Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Sonia Kumar; Justin Madders

Found: Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Sonia Kumar; Justin Madders

Found: Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Sonia Kumar; Justin Madders

Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Justin Madders

Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Justin Madders

Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Justin Madders

Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Justin Madders

Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Justin Madders

Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Justin Madders

Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Justin Madders

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many times he has met Royal Mail leaders in the past 12 months; and if he will publish the minutes of those meetings.

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

In November last year, I met with Royal Mail’s CEO, Alistair Cochrane, and with Martin Seidenberg, the CEO of Royal Mail’s parent company, International Distribution Services (IDS).

In July last year, my predecessor, Justin Madders MP, met with Mr Cochrane, then Royal Mail’s interim CEO.

In May last year, the then Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds MP, met with Daniel Křetínský, the CEO of EP Group, which owns IDS.

Ministers and officials continue to have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider. However, minutes of these meetings are not routinely published.

Found: the Committee on the Government’s plans for audit reform legislation, following my predecessor Justin Madders

Found: Parliamentary and Ministerial engagement The Adjudicator met Justin Madders MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary