Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when his Department plans to respond to the consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is committed to protecting consumers who enter subscription contracts. Chapter 2, Part 4 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 sets out a new regime for subscriptions contracts. Secondary legislation is required to implement it and the government ran a 12-week consultation on regulatory proposals (Consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime - GOV.UK). We are analysing the responses and carefully considering the points raised. A government response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on maintenance works at Glenart Castle Mess in Longbridge, Birmingham.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Glenart Castle Mess closed in July 2025 to allow for an upgrade to the water system infrastructure in the building. The maintenance works have progressed well and are on schedule, with 90% of works being complete.
The mess is planned to reopen on 11 November 2025 back to its original use.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether retired former employees of British Rail will retain travel privileges following the creation of Great British Railways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government understands the importance of travel concessions for retired former British Rail employees and there are no plans to change these arrangements under Great British Railways.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 2.18 of the National Audit Office report entitled High Speed Two: A progress update, published on 24 January 2020, whether HS2 Limited has updated its indicative estimate that the cost of undertakings and assurances was £1.2 billion; and in which year's prices was that estimate.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
HS2 Ltd has not updated this figure. The estimate was provided to the National Audit Office in late 2019 – at that time, HS2 Ltd’s cost estimates were in 2015 prices.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost of a single anytime (a) first and (b) standard class rail ticket between Durham and Basildon was in April (i) 2010 and (ii) 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The single anytime fares from Durham to Basildon are as follows:
The regulated fare for many LNER routes switched from the Super Off-Peak return to the Super Off-Peak single in 2023 due to single leg pricing. The cost of the Super Off-Peak fare are as follows:
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to increase the level of hydrogen and fuel cell technology exports.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As a frontier sector in the Industrial Strategy, the government has committed targeted support to boost exports of hydrogen technologies by showcasing UK capabilities through our global network, greater access to international supply chains and — as outlined in the new Trade Strategy — by expanding clean energy sector agreements, like the UK-Germany Hydrogen Partnership. To support these opportunities, UKEF aims to deliver £10bn in clean growth financing by 2029, DRIVE35 will provide £2.5bn for zero-emission vehicle manufacturing including fuel cells, and the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme offers grants to UK fuel cell manufacturers investing in UK-based research and development.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Q12 of the oral evidence given by Alan Over to the Transport Select Committee on 9 July 2025, HC 1139, when her Department intends to write to the Transport Committee with the information referenced in the answer to that question.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Rail Minister sent a letter on 10 September 2025 providing further information regarding Q12 of the Transport Select Committee’s oral evidence session of 9 July 2025.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to page 4 of his Department's publication entitled Hydrogen Allocation Round 2 (HAR2): due diligence and cost assurance, published on 7 April 2025, when his Department plans to hold that Meet the Supplier event.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is looking at ways to improve the visibility of supply chains for developers and suppliers, including through a Meet the Specifier event, where developers can meet with potential suppliers prior to procurement.
As part of the HAR2 process, we will be engaging with HAR2 shortlisted project representatives with a view to holding this event as soon as projects are in a position to share their technical specifications with potential supply chain companies. We expect to announce successful HAR2 projects in the first half of 2026.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 03 September 2025 to Question 73617, on Armed Forces: Special Educational Needs, if he will publish the February 2025 MODLAP advisory note that is referred to in that Answer.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
With reference to my previous response to Question 73617, dated 3 September 2025, concerning Special Educational Needs (SEND) and the MOD Local Authority Partnership (MODLAP), please find attached the February 2025 MODLAP advisory note.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 31168 on Primodos: Research and with reference to the oral contribution of Mr Roland Moyle on 26 May 1978, HC official record Volume 950, whether (a) the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and (b) Commission on Human Medicines considered the findings of the Committee on Safety of Medicines study that began in 1969 as part of the recent review that is referred to in that Answer.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The review referenced in Question 31168 considered the 2023 publication by Danielsson et al only. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) assessment of this publication focussed on new data, which concerned transient embryonic hypoxia and teratogenicity in relation to oral hormone pregnancy tests (HPTs), and has been published at the following link:
This MHRA assessment was considered by the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) in November 2024. A copy of the minutes of this CHM meeting is attached.
The study referenced by Mr Roland Moyle on 26 May 1978 is titled Maternal drug histories and congenital anomalies, and is authored by Greenberg G, Inman WHW, Weatherall, JAC et al. This was published in the British Medical Journal in October 1977, and is available at the following link:
https://www.bmj.com/content/2/6091/853.abstract
The original Expert Working Group (EWG) convened by the United Kingdom’s CHM to review all available evidence on the possible association between HPTs and adverse outcomes in pregnancy considered the study by Greenberg G referenced above as part of their review.
The EWG reported its findings in November 2017 and concluded that the totality of the available scientific data does not support a causal association between the use of HPTs during early pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The EWG report on the use of HPTs and adverse effects relating to pregnancy, including possible birth defects, is published online, at the following link:
The MHRA remains committed to reviewing any new scientific data which becomes available following the conclusion of the EWG.