Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to work towards implementing a standardised Attendance Policy for all NHS organisations in England; and if he will set out a timeline for when this will be finalised.

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

The Department does not mandate a single national attendance policy for the National Health Service. Responsibility for workforce attendance management sits with individual NHS organisations who are responsible for setting and applying local attendance policies in line with employment law and good human resources practice.

Instead, NHS England has been engaging with representatives from NHS organisations and staff side partners to develop guidance on Supporting Health and Improving Attendance which will be published later this year. This guidance is intended to strengthen and align local approaches while allowing flexibility to reflect local operational circumstances and the diverse needs of our workforce. Once finalised, guidance will support NHS organisations to improve clarity, fairness, and consistency in attendance management across the service without removing local employer accountability.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential public health impact of mandatory health warning labels on alcoholic beverages, including warnings on cancer risk.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The recently published National Cancer Plan reiterated the commitment made in Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages.

Department officials are continuing to review all available and emerging evidence of the potential public health impacts of this policy, which is informing our assessment of the different policy options. This includes examining information from countries that have explored, researched, or legislated for a range of health warnings, and engaging with national and international stakeholders.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce food poverty in (a) Stockport constituency and (b) Greater Manchester.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Our plan to Make Work Pay is part of the mission to grow the economy, raise living standards across the country and create opportunities for all. This is why we committed in our manifesto to ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels.

The Government recognises that the level of household food insecurity in the UK is unacceptable. We have announced action to expand free school meals, support parents with the cost of healthy food in the school holidays with the Holidays and Activities and Food Programme and transform our food system to ensure it delivers access to affordable, healthy food.

From 1 April 2026, we are introducing a new Crisis and Resilience Fund. This longer-term funding approach aims to enable local authorities to provide preventative support to communities – working with the voluntary and community sector – as well as assisting people when faced with a financial crisis, to support our ambition to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels.

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 proposed changes to late payment policy on (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) larger businesses; and whether he plans to differentiate between transactions involving SMEs and those conducted solely between larger counterparties when introducing these changes.

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

On 24 March we published our response to the Late Payments Consultation, outlining legislative measures we will introduce to tackle the scourge of late payments which costs the UK economy £11 billion each year and leads to the closure of 38 businesses every day. In line with the Better Regulation Framework, we published an Impact Assessment that considers how our measures could impact businesses of all different sizes. We have carefully designed measures to tackle late payments whilst supporting UK competitiveness, including allowing an exemption from maximum payment terms for contracts where both parties are large companies.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how she will assess the success of the National Youth Strategy.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The National Youth Strategy will put young people from all backgrounds in the driving seat when it comes to decisions that affect their lives.

We are committed to being accountable to young people, their parents/carers, sector partners, and the wider public to deliver this strategy. To assess the impact, we will hold an annual youth-led national hearing to discuss progress and priorities. We will also publish an interim delivery progress report in 2027.

We will also be evaluating the National Youth Strategy's delivery and impact with England-wide metrics, and DCMS reporting across programmes. This will help us identify successful approaches and areas for improvement and explore opportunities to enhance our work.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding is available to leaseholders for cladding remediation works on buildings under 11 metres in height.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Funding is not currently available for buildings under 11 metres in height. However, the Department announced targeted funding for multi-occupied residential buildings under 11 metres in the Remediation Acceleration Plan update. This funding will be available in exceptional cases, where there are life-critical fire safety risks from cladding and no alternative route to funding.

Additional details about funding for exceptional cladding remediation in buildings below 11 metres in England will be shared by the Department in due course.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her department is taking to encourage more people to train as youth workers.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The National Youth Strategy announced our commitment to developing and growing a skilled and sustainable paid and volunteer youth sector workforce. To achieve this, we are investing £15 million over the next three years.

The Youth Worker Bursary Fund removes financial barriers for individuals, particularly those from underrepresented groups, to gain accredited qualifications. The DCMS is continuing to fund this programme during the next financial year.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of passenger services to Reddish South railway station.

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

The Department, through the Rail North Partnership (RNP), has regular discussions with Northern Trains and stakeholders on the adequacy of services. We expect operators, in this case Northern, to develop timetables that best match capacity and frequency to passenger demand, taking into account operational sustainability and value for taxpayers.

RNP would be happy to look at any proposal around services based on local or regional priorities put forward by the Mayoral Authority as part of their Local Transport Plans. RNP will also contact the Hon Member for a meeting to discuss services to Reddish South.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will provide funding for flood schemes in Stockport constituency.

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

The South Manchester Strategy sets out the EA’s long‑term approach to managing flood risk along the River Mersey, with a focus on maintaining and upgrading key defences. While the project area extends into Stockport, most assets being reviewed are located further downstream.

Recent community drop‑in sessions have helped Stockport residents register for flood warnings, ensuring they are prepared to respond quickly and effectively during flood events. The EA has also supported joint door‑knocking with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, and Stockport Council to increase flood warning uptake in areas with historically low registration. These proactive efforts demonstrate the EA’s continued commitment to protecting people, homes and businesses.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking through its international development programmes to reduce maternal sepsis linked to poor hygiene conditions during childbirth.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 26 March in response to Question 122018.

At the heart of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's future health programming is a clear commitment to strengthening health systems, and raising the overall level of primary healthcare provision - including hygiene standards - that influence outcomes for women in childbirth.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, (a) what steps his Department is taking to reduce the backlog in Gateway 2 applications at the Building Safety Regulator and (b) how many Gateway 2 applications are outstanding for buildings in Stockport constituency.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) publishes monthly data on Building Control Approval applications, including progress on the batching pilot launched in September 2025. Latest data, published in February 2026, showed average approval times for new cases of 18 weeks, representing an almost threefold improvement in processing times when compared to May-July 2025. More complex cases managed through Account Managers are taking around 25 weeks on average for approval.

The BSR has also addressed the backlog of legacy Gateway 2 applications through a substantial expansion of operational capacity and the integration of specialist expertise. These measures have strengthened decision-making, sped up the processing of both new‑build and remediation cases, and supported more efficient partnership working with industry.

In parallel, enhanced guidance, developed jointly with the Construction Leadership Council, is supporting applicants to submit clearer, higher‑quality applications that demonstrate compliance, helping to further reduce determination times.

There are currently four live Gateway 2 applications within the Stockport constituency (SK1–SK5): two remediation cases and two Category A applications.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has had discussions with Stockport Council regarding the condition of Reddish Library.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department has held no specific discussions with Stockport Council regarding the condition of Reddish Library.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is responsible for public library policy and the Libraries Improvement Fund. DCMS intends to publish a new English public library strategy later this year to emphasise and support their position at the heart of communities and their pivotal role in improving the lives of working people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for free childcare for working parents to include postgraduate research students.

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

It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

Parents of students are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education which is available to all three and four-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.

Students who work in addition to studying may be eligible for 30 hours free childcare if they meet the income requirements. PhD stipends are non-taxable income and therefore do not count towards the income requirements of the 30 hours childcare entitlement.

The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in higher education to assist them with childcare.

Through the Student Loans Company, the department offers a specific Childcare Grant (CCG) to support students with the costs of childcare whilst they are in study. The CCG offers parents support of up to 85% of their childcare costs up to a maximum of £183.75 a week for one child and £315.03 for two children. CCG support is provided to individuals where both parents are students, the student is a lone parent, or the student parent’s partner is on a low income. The government has no plans to extend CCG to postgraduate research students.

New US sanctions on Cuba

Found: Navendu Mishra made representations.