Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in the context of recent uncertainty about the future of the ASGSF, what steps her Department is taking to ensure consistent, high quality therapeutic support for adopted children and their families and Regional Adoption Authorities (RAAs) is continued beyond 2028.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has carefully considered the impact of changes to adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) funding as part of the wider Spending Review process. That is why we have confirmed continued funding through to 2027/28, alongside consultation on reform, to ensure families continue to receive support while we improve how it is delivered.
The current consultation, available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/adoption-and-special-guardianship-support-fund-team/adoption-support-that-works-for-all/supporting_documents/adoption-support-that-works-for-all-consultation-document-feb-2026pdf recognises that while many adopted and kinship children thrive, support can be slow, fragmented and inconsistent when needs arise. It sets out a vision for a more predictable and joined-up system, with universal and targeted early help, clearer support pathways and stronger multi‑disciplinary working across social care, health and education where people need more intensive support. The consultation is also a key opportunity for stakeholders to share their views on what support is effective for children. A report on the outcomes of the consultation, together with next steps, will be published later this year.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to hold universities to account on their duty of care to students.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s position is that a duty of care in higher education (HE) may arise in certain circumstances. Such circumstances would be a matter for the courts to decide, based on the specific facts and context of the case being considered, and will be dependent on the application by a court of accepted common law principles.
The department continues to work closely with students, parents, mental health experts and the HE sector to drive meaningful change in mental health practice through the HE mental health implementation taskforce. The taskforce published its second stage report, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/higher-education-mental-health-implementation-taskforce.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, further to the answer of 17 December 2025 to question 98635, how heat network customers who purchase their energy supply from a housing association or a managing agent for their property will benefit from the reductions in energy bills announced in the budget.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
All households that have a domestic electricity account, regardless of their heating type will benefit from the budget announced savings from moving 75% of the RO levy to the Exchequer. This will include the vast majority of heat network customers. We are currently considering eligibility for households on non-domestic energy contracts, and the Government will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish data held by HM Revenue and Customs on: (a) the ports of entry used for low-value imports currently eligible for relief under the Low Value Import exemption, (b) what proportion of such consignments, by value and by number, enter the United Kingdom via bellyhold air cargo, (c) what proportion of such consignments, by value and by number, enter the United Kingdom through Heathrow Airport as their point of entry, and (d) what proportion of total cargo at Heathrow Airport such consignments represent, by value and by number.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
A) Based on data available to HMRC for 2024/25 the ports of entry for low value imports are:
ABD | Aberdeen |
ABZ | Aberdeen Airport |
BEL | Belfast |
BFS | Belfast International Airport |
BHX | Birmingham Airport |
BOH | Bournemouth (Hurn) Airport |
CWL | Cardiff (Wales) Airport |
DEU | Dover / Eurotunnel |
DOG | Rye Wharf |
DOV | Dover |
EDI | Edinburgh Airport |
EMA | East Midlands Airport |
EUT | Eurotunnel |
FIS | Fishguard |
FXT | Felixstowe |
GLA | Glasgow Airport |
GRI | Grimsby |
HEY | Heysham |
HLD | Holyhead |
HRH | Harwich |
HUL | Hull |
IMM | Immingham |
KIL | Killingholme |
LBA | Leeds Bradford Airport |
LGP | London Gateway |
LGW | London Gatwick Airport |
LHR | London Heathrow Airport |
LIV | Liverpool |
LON | London |
LSA | London Stansted Airport |
LTN | London Luton Airport |
MAN | Manchester Airport |
MID | Middlesbrough |
MIL | Milford |
MME | Durham Tees Valley (Teesside) Airport |
MNC | Manchester |
NCL | Newcastle Airport |
NGO | Dollands Moor |
PIK | Prestwick Airport |
POO | Poole |
PTM | Portsmouth |
PUF | Purfleet |
RCS | London Thamesport (sites for Temporary Storage) |
RUN | Runcorn |
STN | Southampton |
THP | Thamesport |
TIL | Tilbury (sites for Temporary Storage) |
TYN | Tyne |
B) HMRC holds data on low value imports although does not routinely collect consignment level information. A single declaration may cover multiple consignments, meaning the volume of declarations does not correspond to the number of individual parcels entering the UK. We define value as the economic value of goods declared for importation that move through a port that includes goods into free circulation and entering special procedures. We define the entries into the ports as where the goods are stored for the purpose of customs checks.
We are therefore unable to provide proportions based on numbers of consignments or to distinguish freight moved in the hold of passenger aircraft from freight moved on cargo flights.
C) For the same reason as set out in B, we are unable to provide information on the number of consignments. Available data on the declared trade value and number of declarations of low value imports eligible for relief under the low value import exemption in 2024-25 are shown in the following table:
| Declared trade value | Number of declarations* |
All low value imports | £5.9 bn | 1,282,000 |
Low value imports declared as air transport (all ports of entry) | £4.8 bn | 963,000 |
Low value air transport imports declared at London Heathrow | £2.1 bn | 203,000 |
*Rounding to the nearest thousand.
D) The declared trade value of goods arriving at Heathrow via air in 2024-25 was £162bn. Low value imports by air transport account for just under 5 per cent of declarations and around 1 per cent of the value of goods imported into Heathrow in 2024-25.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to address the Disability Transport Gap, as described in the December 2023 report entitled Are we there yet, from Transport for All.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department continues to work closely with disabled people and representative organisations, like Transport for All, to ensure their voices are heard, that the challenges are understood and that we are actively working together to drive the change to make transport and travel increasingly accessible and barrier-free.
We recognise the challenges and issues identified in Transport for All’s report both in terms of transport-mode specific issues as well as the cross-cutting themes of financial burden, information provision and inability to take up green transport options due to accessibility barriers.
Collectively, the Department is committed to a transport network that puts disabled passengers at its heart, removing barriers and promoting opportunity. Recent measures to deliver this include improving accessibility and personal safety at bus stops and stations through the Bus Services Act, publishing the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group’s recommendations, and launching the Rail Accessibility Roadmap.
To specifically drive strategic and legislative change, accessibility will be a core theme of the forthcoming Integrated National Transport Strategy. We will also shortly be publishing an Accessible Transport Vision to set out the key priorities for accessible travel for this Government. Later this year, we will publish an Accessible Travel Charter. The Charter will set clear expectations for transport providers to implement accessibility best practice - not as another layer of regulation, but as a clear articulation of the commitments for accessible transport that every operator should meet.
The department is also continuing its work to build accessibility into electric vehicle charging points and the future provision of connected and autonomous vehicles. We will also be publishing the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy and are consulting upon changes to mobility device legislation recognising the importance of personal mobility specifically and as part of the end-to end journeys that disabled people want and need to make.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2026 to question 115217, what timeline the Government is working to in considering the best way to measure the prevalence of VAWG among children and young people in the Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As stated in response to your question on 3rd March, we recognise the importance of understanding the experiences of children and young people. As such the performance framework in the Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy includes a sub-metric on the prevalence of VAWG among children and young people and work is ongoing to determine the most robust and appropriate way to measure this. We will continue to develop this approach as the wider framework evolves.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will launch an independent inquiry into the potential role of Peter Mandelson in negotiating contracts between the UK Government and Palantir; and if he will make it his policy to publish the results of that inquiry.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on transparency and corporate capture detailed in the InfluenceMap report entitled Corporate Capture and the UN International Civil Aviation Organization, published in September 2025; and if she will make representations on that issue ahead of the ICAO Council meeting on 23 March 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The United Kingdom is an active and influential member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The UK sits on the elected ICAO Council and participates in committees and working groups across the organisation, as we seek to maintain and improve the safety, security and sustainability of international aviation.
The UK, in our capacity as a Council member, has been actively involved in ICAO’s transformation programme which seeks to improve the accountability and transparency of the organisation.
With regard to the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP), this is an expert body which provides ICAO with technical analysis and advice on environmental measures. Representatives of a range of industry groups and other stakeholders participate as observers, in support of the Committee’s membership of States. CAEP has a long history of collaboration to deliver strong technical outcomes, including standards for aircraft CO2, noise and pollutant emissions. In February 2025, CAEP recommended an updated CO2 standard requiring new aeroplane designs to reduce emissions by 10% after 2031, following an analysis that relied on industry data and expertise.
CAEP operates with enhanced safeguards due to the handling of commercially sensitive technical data, however the UK fully supports improving CAEP’s transparency where possible and further strengthening of governance arrangements.
The UK appreciates the collaborative working relationship between States and industry at ICAO, as we collectively seek to decarbonise the aviation sector.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2025 to Written Question UIN 80759, how many Access to Work claims have been processed since 10 October 2025; what the extent is of the backlog of outstanding claims; and what steps he is taking to reduce that backlog.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to reducing waiting times in Access to Work so that people can access the support they need. We prioritise applications from customers who are due to start work within the next four weeks, as well as renewals for existing grants, to minimise disruption to employment.
In March 2025, the Department published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, launching a consultation on the future of Access to Work and how the scheme can better support disabled people in employment. We are reviewing all aspects of the programme as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.
From the period 10/10/2025 to 23/02/2026 51,924 Access to Work claims have been processed. As of the 23/02/2026 there were 66,749 applications awaiting a decision.
Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to take steps to support local authorities seeking to build social housing to access finance to purchase land being sold by NHS Trusts.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is not taking any specific action to support local authorities to purchase land being sold by NHS Trusts.
However, in January we announced that we would extend the ‘preferential’ borrowing rate for council housebuilding from the Public Works Loan Board for another year until the end of March 2027. This will provide councils with greater certainty to increase their supply plans, including through land-led development.