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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to implement a national soil health monitoring programme.

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

Yes, national soil monitoring began in October 2023 under the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme. This 5-year survey will deliver a baseline of soil health in England, with Analysis Ready Data from earlier years of the sample being released from December 2025. This data will enable us to understand how well our soils are functioning and inform efforts to improve soil health.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of amending Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 to ensure company directors’ align the interests of (a) people and (b) planet with profit.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006 requires company directors to have regard to the interests of the company’s employees and the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment. Since 2019, directors of large companies have been required to report annually on how they have met this duty.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that company directors align the interests of (a) workers, (b) the environment and (c) wider society with shareholder returns.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006 requires company directors to have regard to the interests of the company’s employees and the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment. Since 2019, directors of large companies have been required to report annually on how they have met this duty.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce environmental pollution caused by the spreading of sewage sludge on agricultural land.

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

The Government recognises that wastewater treatment practices have changed in recent years and new risks may be emerging from the spread of treated sewage sludge to agricultural land.

The Government has been working with water companies on the Chemical Investigations Programme (CIP) to improve the evidence base contaminants in wastewater treatment. Phase 4 of CIP will investigate the impact of sludge application on soil, surface and groundwater. The results will help inform future policy.

The Government is continuing to work with the Environment Agency to assess the regulatory framework for spreading sludge. We recognise that effective and proportionate regulations are an essential tool to improve the water environment. However, further work is required before any proposal for change may be progressed.

The Government has also launched an Independent Commission into the water sector regulatory system, which is the largest review of the industry since privatisation.

The Independent Commission’s Call for Evidence, published in February 2025, highlighted the Environment Agency’s recommendation to strengthen the regulatory framework for sludge application on land by incorporating the Sludge Use in Agriculture Regulations 1989 into the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016.

A set of recommendations will be delivered by Q2 of this year. The UK government and Welsh Government will then respond and consult on proposals we intend to take forward.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Nigeria on support for Christians that country.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government regularly advocates for the protections of all vulnerable communities, including religious minorities, through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora as well as raising Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) bilaterally with the Government of Nigeria and other influential parties. In his meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives on 22 January, the Minister for Africa raised the importance of FoRB and resolving intercommunal conflict and tensions. The UK Government is committed to upholding the right to FoRB and our dialogue on human rights, including FoRB, remains an important part of our partnership with Nigeria.

UK Government recognition of the state of Palestine

Madleen Freedom Flotilla Ship

Climate Finance Fund (Fossil Fuels and Pollution) Bill

Arms exports to Israel

Impact of No Recourse to Public Funds on child poverty

Humanitarian aid into Gaza

National Operating Department Practitioner Day

Mental Health Awareness Week 2025

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Found: Collier Josh Newbury Mike Martin Tom Gordon Dr Al Pinkerton Susan Murray Clive Jones Dr Simon Opher

Found: _NC31 Chris Hinchliff Neil Duncan-Jordan Manuela Perteghella Dr Simon Opher John McDonnell .

Found: Collier Josh Newbury Mike Martin Tom Gordon Dr Al Pinkerton Susan Murray Clive Jones Dr Simon Opher

Found: Robertson Jacob Collier Josh Newbury Tom Gordon Dr Al Pinkerton Susan Murray Clive Jones Dr Simon Opher

Found: Hinchliff Terry Jermy Clive Lewis David Taylor Ellie Chowns Adrian Ramsay John McDonnell Dr Simon Opher

Found: Hinchliff Terry Jermy Clive Lewis David Taylor Ellie Chowns Adrian Ramsay John McDonnell Dr Simon Opher

Found: Jess Brown-Fuller Yasmin Qureshi Tom Gordon Dr Al Pinkerton Susan Murray Clive Jones Dr Simon Opher

Found: Jogee Kim Leadbeater Chris Bloore Tom Gordon Dr Al Pinkerton Susan Murray Clive Jones Dr Simon Opher

Found: Perteghella Adam Jogee Kim Leadbeater Tom Gordon Dr Al Pinkerton Susan Murray Clive Jones Dr Simon Opher

Found: Hinchliff Terry Jermy Clive Lewis David Taylor Ellie Chowns Adrian Ramsay John McDonnell Dr Simon Opher

Found: Hinchliff Terry Jermy Clive Lewis David Taylor Ellie Chowns Adrian Ramsay John McDonnell Dr Simon Opher

Found: Hinchliff Terry Jermy Clive Lewis David Taylor Ellie Chowns Adrian Ramsay John McDonnell Dr Simon Opher

Found: Hinchliff Terry Jermy Clive Lewis David Taylor Ellie Chowns Adrian Ramsay John McDonnell Dr Simon Opher

Found: Hinchliff Terry Jermy Clive Lewis David Taylor Ellie Chowns Adrian Ramsay John McDonnell Dr Simon Opher

Found: Johnson Mr Andrew Mitchell Liz Saville Roberts Siân Berry Carla Denyer Bell Ribeiro-Addy Dr Simon Opher

Found: Johnson Mr Andrew Mitchell Liz Saville Roberts Siân Berry Carla Denyer Bell Ribeiro-Addy Dr Simon Opher

Found: Hinchliff Terry Jermy Clive Lewis David Taylor Ellie Chowns Adrian Ramsay John McDonnell Dr Simon Opher

Found: Johnson Mr Andrew Mitchell Liz Saville Roberts Siân Berry Carla Denyer Bell Ribeiro-Addy Dr Simon Opher

Found: Hinchliff Terry Jermy Clive Lewis David Taylor Ellie Chowns Adrian Ramsay John McDonnell Dr Simon Opher

Found: Dr Simon Opher (Labour) said that he found the “delay of four years that new clause 40 would introduce

Found: Johnson Mr Andrew Mitchell Liz Saville Roberts Siân Berry Carla Denyer Bell Ribeiro-Addy Dr Simon Opher

Found: Hinchliff Terry Jermy Clive Lewis David Taylor Ellie Chowns Adrian Ramsay John McDonnell Dr Simon Opher

Found: Alex Sobel Kim Johnson Mr Andrew Mitchell Liz Saville Roberts Siân Berry Carla Denyer Dr Simon Opher

Found: Hinchliff Terry Jermy Clive Lewis David Taylor Ellie Chowns Adrian Ramsay John McDonnell Dr Simon Opher

Found: Alex Sobel Kim Johnson Mr Andrew Mitchell Liz Saville Roberts Siân Berry Carla Denyer Dr Simon Opher