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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 28 August 2026 to Question 18746 on Peatlands: Controlled burning, if she will publish the response from the National Fire Chiefs Council to the consultation on the 2025 burning regulations.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

NFCC submitted a formal response to the consultation on the 2025 burning regulations alongside a range of organisations and this was considered as part of the development of the regulations. NFCC have published their consultation response and this can be found here: NFCC Heather and Grass Burning in England Consultation Response

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 3 September 2026 to Questions 19860 and 20860 on Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, whether the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme regulates foreign financial influence on UK political parties from the United States of America.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) is a transparency scheme established under Part 4 of the National Security Act 2023. It requires the registration of arrangements under which any foreign power directs a person to carry out political influence activities in the UK, including the provision of money, goods or services intended to influence UK political matters.

The provision of foreign funding alone does not require registration under the political tier. However, where an individual or organisation is provided funding by a foreign power and is directed to use that funding to carry out political influence activities, that individual or organisation would be required to register.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to (a) commence and (b) revise legislation on private investigation businesses.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is a Home Office Arm’s Length Body established by the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (PSIA) as the regulator of the private security industry. The SIA does not currently regulate Private Investigators. As such, neither the Home Office nor the Security Industry Authority have published advice or guidance on the use of private investigators.

The Home Office will continue to consider whether there is a case for further regulation under the Private Security Industry Act, taking care to ensure that any approach is proportionate and does not unduly restrict legitimate activity.

Private Investigators must adhere to the law, like any member of public, and any offences they commit should be dealt with in accordance with the law.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (i) advice and (ii) guidance has been produced by the (a) Home Office and (b) Security Industry Authority on the use of private investigators.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is a Home Office Arm’s Length Body established by the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (PSIA) as the regulator of the private security industry. The SIA does not currently regulate Private Investigators. As such, neither the Home Office nor the Security Industry Authority have published advice or guidance on the use of private investigators.

The Home Office will continue to consider whether there is a case for further regulation under the Private Security Industry Act, taking care to ensure that any approach is proportionate and does not unduly restrict legitimate activity.

Private Investigators must adhere to the law, like any member of public, and any offences they commit should be dealt with in accordance with the law.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with Ofwat on Ofwat's document entitled Statutory consultation on changing our Wholesale Charging Rules and Charges Scheme Rules to promote greater water efficiency, published on 18 June 2026, including the proposal on allowing differences in charging based on incentives to promote water efficiency and the associated environmental and wider societal benefits; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of those proposals.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Ofwat is responsible for setting charging rules. Government expects Ofwat to have regard to their Strategic Policy Statement when setting charges and officials engage with Ofwat throughout the consultation process.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 3 September 2026 to Question 26060 on George Cottrell, if she will publish the information on the number of George Cottrell passports under the legitimate interest legal basis in Article 6(1)(f) of UK GDPR.

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

As a public authority, His Majesty’s Passport Office cannot rely on legitimate interests under article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR to perform its tasks. I therefore refer the Honourable Member to the answer of 3 September 2026 to question 26060.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2026 to Question 13862 on Prices, in how many regulated areas income-based pricing is used for consumer goods and services.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Department is not responsible for determining where income-based pricing is appropriate for consumer goods and services in regulated sectors.

However, regulators are able to oversee targeted social tariffs or assistance packages for low-income or vulnerable groups, for example, in broadband, water and energy.

More broadly, the Department focuses on protecting consumers through legislation such as the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 to maintain broad price transparency and curb deceptive pricing practices across all income tiers. This includes cracking down on drip pricing, misleading online countdown timers, and hidden booking fees.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2026 to Question 17156 on Conditions of Employment, through what mechanisms his Department is gathering evidence on the right to switch off; whether external research has been commissioned; and whether there is an informal (a) consultation and (b) call for evidence.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The government recognises the risks of blurred boundaries between work and home life and is continuing to build the evidence base on the causes of work-related stress and burnout.

As part of this work, we have commissioned a survey of working adults across Great Britain. The external research will complement wider evidence gathering and engagement with external stakeholders, to establish more evidence and help inform which measures may be most appropriate to address these issues.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether rights for trade unions to access workplaces will allow trade union representatives to access workplaces (a) during strike days and (b) to influence strike ballots taking place in the workplace.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Employment Rights Act 2025’s provisions on access set out that trade union access cannot be used for the purposes of organising industrial action (70ZA(7) of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992). Doing so would be considered a breach of the access agreement. However, the union could still be entitled to access a non-striking group of workers in the same workplace for any of the access purposes set out in section 70ZA (6) of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, and in accordance with the terms of the access agreement.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 119943 on Journalism: Protection, what assessment her Department has been made of the potential impact of private investigators intimidating journalists on the level of press freedom.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to defending the invaluable role of a free and independent media. Harassment and intimidation of journalists is unacceptable and incompatible with a healthy and functioning democracy.

Through the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, which brings DCMS together with the Home Office, criminal justice partners, civil society and media organisations, we work to ensure journalists can carry out their work free from threats, intimidation and violence. The Committee's National Action Plan supports efforts to improve the safety of journalists operating in the UK.

The Department also engages regularly with media organisations on current threats facing journalists and developments affecting the media landscape, including allegations of intimidation. Issues shared by the industry help to inform the work of the National Committee.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2026 to Question HL3346 on Local Government: Reorganisation, which councils has the Local Government Boundary Commission for England supported this year; and if he will provide a relevant hyperlink to the guidance referred to in that answer.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Commission wrote to all new authorities following reorganisation announcements to offer support and share its guidance. The Commission has also engaged with individual Councils through bilateral meetings and informal engagement at events such as the Local Government Association conference.

The Commission’s guidance to Councils and others on the reorganisation process, including the factors that should be considered when making proposals to the Secretary of State for interim warding arrangements, can be accessed on the Commission’s website, at https://www.lgbce.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-05/lgbce_lgr_guidance_note_21052025_1.pdf

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many screening applications Natural England has determined under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2006 for land in National Parks in each of the last five years, and in how many of those cases it decided that the project was likely to have a significant effect on the environment.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

NE has received 389 applications for an EIA screening decision since 2022, of which 36 projects were determined as likely to have a significant effect on the environment.

NE does not have a database record that details which of the 389 applications had a project area wholly or partly within a National Park (or a National Landscape).

Of the 36 projects determined as likely to have a significant effect on the environment, NE can confirm that 2 of these included the determination that the project would have a likely significant effect on the special qualities of a protected landscape. Of these 2 projects, 1 was a restructuring project in a National Landscape and the other an uncultivated land project in a National Park.

We have been provided a breakdown by year for your assistance, as follows:

36 Projects called in for EIA out of 389 screening applications

2022 applications = 12 out of 62 screening applications

2023 applications = 4 out of 79 screening applications

2024 applications = 13 out of 92 screening applications

2025 applications = 4 out of 90 screening applications

2026 applications = 3 out of 66 screening applications

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date did the Cabinet Office receive a copy from the National Cyber Security Centre of the APCO Worldwide/Labour Together report codenamed Project Cannon.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As has been the policy of successive governments, the government does not comment on matters relating to the intelligence agencies.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 21 September 2026 to Question 21235 on Water: Conservation, if she will provide a relevant hyperlink.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Here is the link to information as requested Charging trials - Ofwat.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 21 September 2026 to Question 21233 on Water: Conservation, if she will provide a relevant hyperlink.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Here is the link to information as requested Charging trials - Ofwat.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 21 September 2026 to Question 21236 on Water: Conservation, if she will provide a relevant hyperlink.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Here is the link to information as requested Charging trials - Ofwat.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Gambling Commission has made of the level of unlicensed gambling activity, and soliciting of custom, through Tether.bet.

Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Gambling Commission is not able to comment on or confirm or deny whether they are investigating operators based on intelligence as doing so may prejudice any operation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2026 to Question 9053 on Treasury: Written Questions, what oral and written representations the Bank of England has received from representatives of the Reform UK party on cryptocurrency deregulation and taxation; and on what dates the Bank of England met Reform UK on this matter.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The information requested is not held by HM Treasury. The matter falls within the operational responsibilities of the Bank of England. I have asked the Governor of the Bank of England to write to the Honourable Member directly.

Found: 3rd Report - Interim Report: Kevin Hollinrake HC 707 Report