Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what guidance her Department has issued to fire and rescue services on safety standards in relation to 5G masts.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has not issued guidance on fire safety standards for 5G masts and does not have responsibility for setting such standards. Mobile network operators are responsible for the operation, maintenance and safety of their infrastructure. The Department engages regularly with mobile network operators in relation to resilience of network infrastructure.

Rules relating to fire risk and 5G infrastructure is covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of fire safety standards for 5G masts.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has not issued guidance on fire safety standards for 5G masts and does not have responsibility for setting such standards. Mobile network operators are responsible for the operation, maintenance and safety of their infrastructure. The Department engages regularly with mobile network operators in relation to resilience of network infrastructure.

Rules relating to fire risk and 5G infrastructure is covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the compliance of East Cambridgeshire District Council with her Department's guidance on the provision of restricted private hire vehicle licences.

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

The Government is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which 263 licensing authorities in England administer the taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing regime. Licensing authorities must determine that all taxi and PHV drivers and PHV operators are ‘fit and proper’ to hold a licence but have flexibility on the requirements that must be met to demonstrate this. They must also ensure that vehicles are safe to carry members of the public.

The Department for Transport issues guidance to assist licensing authorities to enable the provision of safe and accessible services through proportionate regulation. The Department’s statutory guidance to licensing authorities on exercising their taxi and PHV licensing functions to protect children and vulnerable adults sets out a robust set of safeguarding measures. Licensing authorities must have regard to the guidance and my Department expects them to implement the recommendations unless there is a compelling local reason not to do so. The statutory guidance applies across taxi and PHV licensing, including licences issued on a “restricted” basis.

As recommended in the statutory guidance, all taxi and PHV licensing authorities in England (including East Cambridgeshire District Council) have advised the Department that for drivers they require the highest level of vetting available, an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and a check of both the children’s and adults’ Barred Lists.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of safeguards for restricted private hire vehicle licences issued by local authorities.

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

The Government is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which 263 licensing authorities in England administer the taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing regime. Licensing authorities must determine that all taxi and PHV drivers and PHV operators are ‘fit and proper’ to hold a licence but have flexibility on the requirements that must be met to demonstrate this. They must also ensure that vehicles are safe to carry members of the public.

The Department for Transport issues guidance to assist licensing authorities to enable the provision of safe and accessible services through proportionate regulation. The Department’s statutory guidance to licensing authorities on exercising their taxi and PHV licensing functions to protect children and vulnerable adults sets out a robust set of safeguarding measures. Licensing authorities must have regard to the guidance and my Department expects them to implement the recommendations unless there is a compelling local reason not to do so. The statutory guidance applies across taxi and PHV licensing, including licences issued on a “restricted” basis.

As recommended in the statutory guidance, all taxi and PHV licensing authorities in England (including East Cambridgeshire District Council) have advised the Department that for drivers they require the highest level of vetting available, an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and a check of both the children’s and adults’ Barred Lists.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain for 2024; and what funding her Department has allocated for research into alternative testing methods.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Annual Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain: 2024 will be published on October 23, 2025.

The Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has a diverse portfolio of investments that supports research which can lead to alternatives, such as organ-on-a-chip, cell-based assays, functional genomics and computer modelling. UKRI also invests £10 million annually in the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). The Government also co-funds seven Centres of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI), two focusing on AI which will support alternative method development.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the mechanical recycling industry.

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

The Collection and Packaging Reforms – Simpler Recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) – will help stimulate investment in recycling services across the UK.

In addition, Defra is working across Government to pinpoint any further interventions necessary to stabilise the sector and set it up for success.

The Minister for Nature convened a roundtable with industry earlier this year and senior officials chaired a roundtable with representatives from the recycling industry in September. Government continues to consider how best to engage the sector.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will meet representatives from the UK mechanical recycling industry to discuss government support for the industry.

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

The Collection and Packaging Reforms – Simpler Recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) – will help stimulate investment in recycling services across the UK.

In addition, Defra is working across Government to pinpoint any further interventions necessary to stabilise the sector and set it up for success.

The Minister for Nature convened a roundtable with industry earlier this year and senior officials chaired a roundtable with representatives from the recycling industry in September. Government continues to consider how best to engage the sector.

Attendance of the Attorney General at the Bar of the House on the Chinese espionage case