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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential impact of uncertainty about future rounds of the Landscape Recovery tier of Environmental Land Management schemes on farmers’ willingness to engage in long-term nature recovery projects.

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

The Government reconfirmed its commitment to Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes in the Autumn 2024 Spending Review. More than £2.7 billion a year will be invested in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026/27 to 2028/29.

Defra wants Landscape Recovery to work for collaborative groups of farmers delivering ambitious nature recovery at the landscape scale. The Department is pleased the projects currently in the scheme involve over 1,000 land managers, many of which are farmers. As the first projects are entering the implementation phase, farmers are benefitting directly from engaging in long-term nature recovery projects.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for tackling pavement parking.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a national strategy for palliative and end of life care.

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

The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

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 £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. I am pleased to confirm the continuation of circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, for the next three financial years, from 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive, to be distributed again via integrated care boards. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NICE on (a) reviewing and (b) updating (i) clinical guidelines and (ii) guidance on diagnosing Type 1 Diabetes and Eating Disorders.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for determining whether its guidelines should be reviewed or updated in the light of new evidence. NICE takes a proactive approach to surveillance, monitoring for changes in the evidence base that may impact on its recommendations. Topics for new or updated guidance are considered through the NICE prioritisation process. Decisions as to whether NICE will create new, or update existing, guidance are overseen by a prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s chief medical officer.

NICE’s guidelines on the diagnosis and management of type 1 diabetes in adults, with the reference code NG17, diabetes, including both type 1 and type 2, in children and young people, with the reference code NG18, and the recognition and treatment of eating disorders, with the reference code NG69, will be reviewed if there is new evidence that is likely to change the recommendations. NICE currently has no plans to update NG17, NG18, or NG69.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of (a) private investment and (b) Government funding for (i) storm overflows, (ii) wastewater treatment and (iii) other water infrastructure.

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

Ofwat’s final determinations for Price Review 2024 set company expenditure for 2025–2030. This will deliver substantial and enduring improvements for customers and the environment through a £104 billion upgrade for the water sector. The £104 billion funding package is the highest level of investment in the water sector since privatisation and is set to be the second largest private sector investment programme in this parliament.

Water companies are investing over £11 billion in PR24, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales over the next five years. Furthermore, £4.795 billion will be spent over the same period to reduce phosphorus pollution from treated wastewater. This represents an increase when compared to the 2022-2023 equivalent prices for Price Review 19, where overall spending was £61bn, storm overflow investment was £3.6 billion, and wastewater treatment improvements were £3.1 billion.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) the policy options and (b) delivery mechanisms available to enable local authorities to keep pavements (i) clear and (ii) safe for people.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill includes measures to empower local leaders to regulate shared on-street cycle rental schemes, such as Lime bikes, and act decisively to address any issues of poor parking and antisocial behaviour. Rental e-scooters are already tightly controlled. The Department’s guidance specifies that there should be sufficient parking in e-scooter trial areas and local authorities should ensure they do not become obstructive to others. Operators are also using geofencing technology, parking incentives and penalties to improve parking compliance.

Once the e-scooter trials end, the future framework is designed to be flexible and allows new vehicles like e-scooters, to be included as they are legalised for use on the road.

The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to re-introduce postal verification for trustees of (a) companies and (b) charities who are otherwise excluded from these roles due to lack of digital accessibility.

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

Identity verification at Companies House is a new requirement for company directors. Some charities are incorporated as companies, and some companies limited by guarantee call their directors ‘trustees’. Only trustees who are company directors must verify under the new requirements. Previously no identity verification process existed for these roles. Individuals can verify their identity through Companies House routes or via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. The process has been designed to be as straightforward and accessible as possible and where identity cannot be verified online, users may be directed to complete the process in person at a participating Post Office.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with his international counterparts on the potential merits of creating an international symposium of experts on Type 1 Diabetes and Eating Disorders to (a) share best practice and (b) agree consensus guidance on diagnosis and treatment.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are regular opportunities for ministers to meet with their international colleagues on a range of health issues to discuss best practice and learning. For this reason, there are no current plans to arrange a specific symposium on diabetes.

NHS England will continue its type 1 diabetes and disordered eating (T1DE) pilots, which have demonstrated that integrating diabetes and other health services, including mental health services, can significantly enhance the quality of life for people with T1DE and ultimately save lives.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to introduce examinations in British Sign Language for deaf children as part of the implementation of the curriculum review.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Under Ofqual’s regulatory conditions, all students taking GCSE, AS and A level qualifications must be assessed in English, except where another language is permitted, such as in modern foreign language qualifications. Students may be assessed in British Sign Language (BSL) where an awarding organisation offers this as a reasonable adjustment. Guidance is provided by the Joint Council for Qualifications, and adjustments can include the use of BSL interpreters for spoken instructions, readers, scribes and assistive technology.

Access arrangements are also available for all national curriculum tests, and guidance is provided by the Standards and Testing Agency. This allows for adjustments such as sign language interpreters for instructions and compensatory marks for pupils with profound hearing impairments.

The government is also developing a landmark GCSE in BSL, which will be accessible for both first-time learners and existing BSL users.

I would welcome the opportunity to meet the hon. Member and her constituents to discuss this issue.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with me and my constituents to discuss the introduction of examinations in British Sign Language for deaf children.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Under Ofqual’s regulatory conditions, all students taking GCSE, AS and A level qualifications must be assessed in English, except where another language is permitted, such as in modern foreign language qualifications. Students may be assessed in British Sign Language (BSL) where an awarding organisation offers this as a reasonable adjustment. Guidance is provided by the Joint Council for Qualifications, and adjustments can include the use of BSL interpreters for spoken instructions, readers, scribes and assistive technology.

Access arrangements are also available for all national curriculum tests, and guidance is provided by the Standards and Testing Agency. This allows for adjustments such as sign language interpreters for instructions and compensatory marks for pupils with profound hearing impairments.

The government is also developing a landmark GCSE in BSL, which will be accessible for both first-time learners and existing BSL users.

I would welcome the opportunity to meet the hon. Member and her constituents to discuss this issue.

Role of Court Leets

Safeguarding rural schools

Support for the Shakespeare Curriculum Project

Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week 2025

Support for early years and the National Literacy Trust

Tackling van and tool theft

Road Safety Week 2025

Fly-tipping and illegal waste dumping by criminal gangs

Flood Action Week 2025

Buying community energy locally

Movember

Soham Men's Shed

Exceptional performing arts centres in rural areas

Holt Crafters

Camanachd Assoociation’s Shinty’s Story exhibition

King’s Award for Open Door Drama Shetland

King’s Award for Voluntary Service 2025 for Highlands and Islands Blood Bikes

Economic growth and the asylum system

Accessible healthcare for deaf people and those with hearing loss

Mouth Cancer Action Month

UK access to the EU SAFE defence fund

110 years of the Women's Institute

Freezing of Local Housing Allowance

King’s Award for Wem Town Hall

President Trump’s 20-point peace plan

Cumulative disruption proposals and the right to protest

Right to peaceful protest

Social care day of action

Right to peaceful protest and freedom of assembly

Statement on Palestine by children's authors, illustrators and educators

Found: Introducing the new clauses for the Liberal Democrats, Manuela Perteghella said: “In combination, the

Submit Evidence (by 9 Jan 2026)

Reading brings a range of benefits to children, young people and their families, but the number of children reading for pleasure is declining rapidly.