Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of car parking charges in hospital car parks on access to healthcare.

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

It is important that the National Health Service is as accessible as possible to those that need it most. That is why the NHS already provides free hospital car parking to those in greatest need. This includes disabled blue badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of children staying overnight and NHS staff working overnight.

More widely, all NHS trusts are expected to follow the published NHS Car Parking Guidance. This states that car parking charges, where they exist, should be reasonable for the area, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help people with food prices.

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

Defra is taking forward a range of actions to help address food prices by tackling the underlying drivers of cost and supporting access to affordable food.

The department is working closely with the Department for Business and Trade to assess how regulation affects food businesses and food prices, through the Food Inflation Gateway. This work is helping to identify where burdens can be reduced or sequenced more effectively. Alongside this, through the Good Food Cycle, Defra set out priority outcomes focused on improving access to healthy, affordable food and strengthening local food systems.

More broadly, the Government is providing targeted support to help households manage food costs. From April, the value of Healthy Start will rise by 10% to provide greater support for pregnant women and young children, alongside work with retailers to expand access to healthy, affordable food. Free School Meals will be extended to around half a million additional pupils, saving families up to £495 per child annually and lifting approximately 100,000 children out of relative poverty. The Holiday Activity and Food Programme will also continue with £600 million in funding.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research his Department is undertaking into the treatment of Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including polycystic kidney disease.

These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on polycystic kidney disease to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

Details of NIHR funding allocated to individual research awards are openly published and updated quarterly on the ‘Open Data’ site of the NIHR website, at the following link:

https://nihr.opendatasoft.com/explore/

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 effectiveness of the Groceries Code Adjudicator in protecting consumers from rising food prices.

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

The Government is undertaking the fourth statutory review into the effectiveness of the GCA and the report will be published as soon as practicable. The Groceries Code, a competition measure owned by the Competition and Markets Authority, aims to ensure the fair treatment of direct suppliers to large grocery retailers but does not regulate prices paid by consumers.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to require supermarkets to publish data comparing food price increases with payments to suppliers.

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

The Government has no current plans to require supermarkets to publish data comparing food price increases with payments to suppliers.

The Government continues to work closely with retailers, suppliers, trade associations and regulators to monitor developments in this sector and to understand any issues that may affect transparency, competition and outcomes for consumers and businesses.

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 impact of fireworks noise on the welfare of people living with PTSD and other noise-sensitive health conditions.

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

The Government recognises that many people are concerned about the use of fireworks. Ministers will consider how best to minimise harm while recognising the role that fireworks play in cultural and community life. Any work will take into account experiences from individuals alongside the data provided by local authorities, emergency services, animal welfare organisations and the fireworks industry.

No recent assessment has been made of the potential impact of fireworks noise or the impact on pets or on the welfare of people living with PTSD and other noise-sensitive health conditions.

I will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on issues relating to fireworks, including noise, to inform future action.

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 impact of fireworks noise on the welfare of pets.

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

The Government recognises that many people are concerned about the use of fireworks. Ministers will consider how best to minimise harm while recognising the role that fireworks play in cultural and community life. Any work will take into account experiences from individuals alongside the data provided by local authorities, emergency services, animal welfare organisations and the fireworks industry.

No recent assessment has been made of the potential impact of fireworks noise or the impact on pets or on the welfare of people living with PTSD and other noise-sensitive health conditions.

I will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on issues relating to fireworks, including noise, to inform future action.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he will review current fireworks legislation in relation to noise levels.

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

The Government recognises that many people are concerned about the use of fireworks. Ministers will consider how best to minimise harm while recognising the role that fireworks play in cultural and community life. Any work will take into account experiences from individuals alongside the data provided by local authorities, emergency services, animal welfare organisations and the fireworks industry.

No recent assessment has been made of the potential impact of fireworks noise or the impact on pets or on the welfare of people living with PTSD and other noise-sensitive health conditions.

I will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on issues relating to fireworks, including noise, to inform future action.

Role of the House of Lords in scrutinising legislation

Nuclear Regulatory Review and habitats regulations

UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons

Deregistration of international non-governmental organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Iran protests

Submit Evidence (by 27 Feb 2026)

The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee scrutinises the work and performance of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.