Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff currently work for DfT Operator Limited.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

There are 102 staff that currently work for DfT Operator Limited.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Railways Bill on accessibility at train stations.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Railways Bill places a statutory duty on Great British Railways (GBR) to promote the interests of passengers, and in particular the needs of disabled passengers, when carrying out its statutory functions. This means accessibility will be embedded at the heart of GBR’s decision-making and reflects the Government’s vision for a railway that is inclusive and accessible to all.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that developers in London allocate 20% of homes for affordable housing.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 87275 on 28 November 2025.

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 Environment and Climate Change Committee's recommendations published in its policy letter to her, dated 28 October 2025, on Waste Crime.

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

The Department is considering the Environment and Climate Change Committee's recommendations on waste crime and will respond in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many geriatricians with specialist training in Parkinson's there are.

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

While the Department does not hold data specifically on the number of Parkinson’s specialist staff in England, we do hold data on the number of doctors working in the wider specialities of neurology and geriatric medicine. As of August 2025, there were 2,010 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of neurology and 6,284 in geriatric medicine in National Health Service trusts and other organisations in England. This includes 1,025 FTE consultant neurologists and 1,687 FTE consultant geriatricians.

These figures are based on NHS Digital’s workforce data and reflect staff employed by NHS trusts and other core NHS organisations in England. They do not include doctors working in private practice or outside NHS organisations.

The Department does not hold specific data on the number of specialist Parkinson’s nurses currently working in the NHS in England. These roles are commissioned and managed locally by NHS trusts and integrated care boards as part of neurology and movement disorder services.

NHS England has published a service specification for specialised adult neurology services, which includes Parkinson’s disease as part of its scope. This specification sets out requirements for multidisciplinary care, including access to Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists, consultant neurologists, and allied health professionals.

NHS England is also implementing initiatives such as the Neurology Transformation Programme and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aim to improve access to specialist care, reduce variation, and develop integrated models of service delivery for conditions including Parkinson’s disease. These programmes align with the National Institute for Care Excellence guidance on Parkinson’s disease, reference code NG71, which recommends that people with Parkinson’s have regular access to specialist staff with expertise in the condition.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many neurologists with special training in Parkinson's are there.

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

While the Department does not hold data specifically on the number of Parkinson’s specialist staff in England, we do hold data on the number of doctors working in the wider specialities of neurology and geriatric medicine. As of August 2025, there were 2,010 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of neurology and 6,284 in geriatric medicine in National Health Service trusts and other organisations in England. This includes 1,025 FTE consultant neurologists and 1,687 FTE consultant geriatricians.

These figures are based on NHS Digital’s workforce data and reflect staff employed by NHS trusts and other core NHS organisations in England. They do not include doctors working in private practice or outside NHS organisations.

The Department does not hold specific data on the number of specialist Parkinson’s nurses currently working in the NHS in England. These roles are commissioned and managed locally by NHS trusts and integrated care boards as part of neurology and movement disorder services.

NHS England has published a service specification for specialised adult neurology services, which includes Parkinson’s disease as part of its scope. This specification sets out requirements for multidisciplinary care, including access to Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists, consultant neurologists, and allied health professionals.

NHS England is also implementing initiatives such as the Neurology Transformation Programme and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aim to improve access to specialist care, reduce variation, and develop integrated models of service delivery for conditions including Parkinson’s disease. These programmes align with the National Institute for Care Excellence guidance on Parkinson’s disease, reference code NG71, which recommends that people with Parkinson’s have regular access to specialist staff with expertise in the condition.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many specialist nurses in Parkinson's there are.

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

While the Department does not hold data specifically on the number of Parkinson’s specialist staff in England, we do hold data on the number of doctors working in the wider specialities of neurology and geriatric medicine. As of August 2025, there were 2,010 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of neurology and 6,284 in geriatric medicine in National Health Service trusts and other organisations in England. This includes 1,025 FTE consultant neurologists and 1,687 FTE consultant geriatricians.

These figures are based on NHS Digital’s workforce data and reflect staff employed by NHS trusts and other core NHS organisations in England. They do not include doctors working in private practice or outside NHS organisations.

The Department does not hold specific data on the number of specialist Parkinson’s nurses currently working in the NHS in England. These roles are commissioned and managed locally by NHS trusts and integrated care boards as part of neurology and movement disorder services.

NHS England has published a service specification for specialised adult neurology services, which includes Parkinson’s disease as part of its scope. This specification sets out requirements for multidisciplinary care, including access to Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists, consultant neurologists, and allied health professionals.

NHS England is also implementing initiatives such as the Neurology Transformation Programme and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aim to improve access to specialist care, reduce variation, and develop integrated models of service delivery for conditions including Parkinson’s disease. These programmes align with the National Institute for Care Excellence guidance on Parkinson’s disease, reference code NG71, which recommends that people with Parkinson’s have regular access to specialist staff with expertise in the condition.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle family court backlogs in London.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government remains committed to reducing the outstanding caseload within the Family Court and is working closely with system partners to drive forward a cross-cutting programme of work to achieve this. At a national level the Family Justice Board has agreed system-wide targets for 2025/26, with a continued focus on reducing delay.

In London, a dedicated Family Justice Strategy has been implemented, which brings together key partners across the three London Family Court areas. This work has included targeted investment over 2025/26 to tackle the outstanding private law caseload by providing additional court capacity and ensuring that courts follow the Public Law Outline, with clear arrangements for overseeing performance. These measures have already delivered a reduction in delays and the London model is being evaluated with a view to applying lessons learned in other regions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who will no longer have transitional protection funding for free school meals by ethnicity after the 2025-26 financial year.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multiyear spending review period to cover the cost of additional free meals, after taking into account the removal of protections. The action we are taking will ensure that over 500,000 additional children and pupils will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal.

Transitional protections have been in place since 2018 to ensure no one who gained free school meals (FSM) eligibility would lose it while Universal Credit was rolled out. The department intends to bring transitional protections to an end once the new eligibility is introduced. We have not yet carried out analysis by cohort characteristics to understand which pupils may no longer be eligible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who will no longer have transitional protection funding for free school meals by location after the 2025-26 financial year.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multiyear spending review period to cover the cost of additional free meals, after taking into account the removal of protections. The action we are taking will ensure that over 500,000 additional children and pupils will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal.

Transitional protections have been in place since 2018 to ensure no one who gained free school meals (FSM) eligibility would lose it while Universal Credit was rolled out. The department intends to bring transitional protections to an end once the new eligibility is introduced. We have not yet carried out analysis by cohort characteristics to understand which pupils may no longer be eligible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of children with SEND who will no longer have transitional protection funding for free school meals after the 2025-26 financial year.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multiyear spending review period to cover the cost of additional free meals, after taking into account the removal of protections. The action we are taking will ensure that over 500,000 additional children and pupils will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal.

Transitional protections have been in place since 2018 to ensure no one who gained free school meals (FSM) eligibility would lose it while Universal Credit was rolled out. The department intends to bring transitional protections to an end once the new eligibility is introduced. We have not yet carried out analysis by cohort characteristics to understand which pupils may no longer be eligible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of children in (a) rural and (b) urban areas who will no longer have transitional protection funding for free school meals after the 2025-26 financial year.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multiyear spending review period to cover the cost of additional free meals, after taking into account the removal of protections. The action we are taking will ensure that over 500,000 additional children and pupils will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal.

Transitional protections have been in place since 2018 to ensure no one who gained free school meals (FSM) eligibility would lose it while Universal Credit was rolled out. The department intends to bring transitional protections to an end once the new eligibility is introduced. We have not yet carried out analysis by cohort characteristics to understand which pupils may no longer be eligible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children will lose transitional protection funding for free school meals by each key stage group in 2025.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multiyear spending review period to cover the cost of additional free meals, after taking into account the removal of protections. The action we are taking will ensure that over 500,000 additional children and pupils will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal.

Transitional protections have been in place since 2018 to ensure no one who gained free school meals (FSM) eligibility would lose it while Universal Credit was rolled out. The department intends to bring transitional protections to an end once the new eligibility is introduced. We have not yet carried out analysis by cohort characteristics to understand which pupils may no longer be eligible.

Found: Letter dated 08/12/2025 from Sir Ian Bauckham, Chief Regulator, to Munira Wilson MP regarding a parliamentary