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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding has been allocated to animal welfare in the Spending Review 2025.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

The allocations for projects and programmes will be set now following the Spending Review. This will build on the support already available through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, which includes access to testing for priority diseases and advice to continually improve the health, welfare and productivity of farmed animals through funded vet visits.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the dangerous dogs control scheme in Calgary, Canada.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has reconvened the Responsible Dog Ownership Taskforce to explore measures to promote responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog. As part of this work, the taskforce may look at international models of dog control. We look forward to receiving its findings and recommendations in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Sight Loss Council's report entitled MakeTransportAccessible - creating the perfect world for blind and partially sighted people, published on 1 November 2023, what steps her Department is taking to tackle issues for visually impaired people on (a) public transport accessibility and (b) pavement parking.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government is committed to improving public transport services so they are more inclusive and enable blind and partially sighted people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. On 17 December, the government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The Bill includes measures which will make bus travel more accessible and inclusive, including requiring authorities to pay regard to new guidance on the safety and accessibility of stopping places.

The government recognises the concerns which have been raised about floating bus stops, particularly. This is why the Department has accepted amendments to the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill which require the Secretary of State to publish statutory guidance on their provision and design within three months of Royal Assent. In addition, the Department will write to all local authorities requesting that they pause the introduction of any floating bus stops which require passengers to board and alight directly into a cycle track.

On 1 October 2024, the first phase of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 came into force, meaning that newer vehicles providing local services must provide audible and visible information on stops, destinations and diversions. The majority of services will need to comply by October 2026.

Ensuring the rail network is also accessible is at the heart of our passenger-focused approach to improving rail services. We know that the experience for disabled people when traveling on rail too often falls short of what is expected and what passengers deserve. We are committed to improving the experience for disabled passengers and have committed to publishing an accessibility roadmap to explain the actions we are taking to improve accessibility ahead of Great British Rail.  We have recently completed a programme to install platform edge tactile paving at every station that did not already have it in place or was due to have it installed as part of other enhancement or renewal work.

Regarding pavement parking, the government understands that vehicles parked on the pavement can cause serious problems for all pedestrians and especially people with mobility or sight impairments. The Department intends to publish a formal response to the pavement parking consultation, including the government’s next steps to address pavement parking.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 2 June from the hon. Member for Torbay.

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

We have received the Hon. Member’s correspondence of 2 June and we will respond shortly.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) the Red Arrows and (b) other military display teams in the Spending Review 2025.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Spending Review has set the Ministry of Defence's Departmental Expenditure Limits until Financial Year 2028-29 for Resource and until 2029-30 for Capital. These are at high-level and do not specify all spend across the Department.

Funding for individual activities, such as display teams, will be decided on an annual basis as usual.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish (a) transparent and (b) clear data on (i) hospital admissions and (ii) presentations to minor injury clinics due to dog bites in each healthcare trust in the most recent period for which data is available.

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

NHS England already published data on hospital admissions due to dog bites. This data can be found at the following link:

digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/hospital-admitted-patient-care-activity/2023-24.

In 2023/24, in England, there were 10,678 finished admission episodes with an external cause of being bitten or struck by a dog. This data is available nationally and is not disaggregated by individual National Health Service trusts or minor injury unit. There are no current plans to change this approach.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to replace the Hawk T1 fleet used by the Red Arrows.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Strategic Defence Review recommended that the Hawk T1 and T2 be replaced with a cost-effective advanced jet trainer. The future platform of the Royal Air Force aerobatic team is being considered at the same time, and a programme team is being established to deliver that capability.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effectiveness of (a) the Get Set Progress scheme and (b) paid internship programmes for disabled people; and what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues to (i) increase internships for disabled people and (ii) diversify the sources from which departments recruit.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Ministers have been encouraged by the briefing they have received on the ‘Get Set Progress’ scheme, but no assessment has been carried out by this department.

Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce. All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. All government departments and employers must consider the Equality Act when providing internships.

Civil Service internships are a matter for Government Skills, part of the Cabinet Office and supported internships are a matter for the Department for Education.

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 merits of establishing a national glaucoma pathway, in the context of similar models in (a) Wales and (b) Scotland.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In England, integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye cares services to meet identified local needs. This can include commissioning enhanced services in the community such as glaucoma referral refinement and glaucoma monitoring services.

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 care experienced young people securing employment in the hospitality sector following the cessation of local authority support.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is committed to ensuring that young people leaving care have stable homes, access to health services, support to build lifelong loving relationships and are engaged in education, employment and training.

The department fully recognises the potential benefits that employment in the hospitality sector offers to care leavers. 27 of the 237 organisations offering employment opportunities under our Care Leaver Covenant are from the hospitality industry. This includes Accor Hotels, Aramark, Birmingham Airport, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, PGL, Marston’s Brewery and Pubs, and Merlin Entertainments.

Further, our Care Leaver Ministerial Board, co-chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my right hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister, has been established to secure cross-departmental action to improve the outcomes and experiences of care leavers, including in relation to their employment.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the merits of introducing National Insurance Contributions exemptions for employers who hire individuals transitioning off working benefits.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to providing people who are out of work with the personalised support they need to find work, aiding the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. At the Spending Review, the Government increased funding for employment support to over £3.5 billion by 2028-29, helping people to access the skills they need to progress, tackling unemployment and inactivity and ensuring more people are in better jobs.

There are a wide range of factors to take into consideration when introducing a tax relief. These include how effective the relief would be at achieving the policy intent, how targeted support would be, whether it adds complexity to the tax system, and the cost.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve the quality of training on (a) Tourette’s syndrome and (b) other tic disorders for service providers nationally.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We will publish a new workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and to ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it. NHS England’s Neuroscience Transformation Programme is supporting integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including providing care closer to home.

NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and RightCare Toolkits aim to improve care for patients with neurological conditions by reducing variation.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a range of guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions for use by healthcare professionals and commissioners. NICE guidance ensures that patients are cared for in a consistently evidence-based way.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase the number of specialist practitioners (a) researching and (b) treating Tourette’s Syndrome.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We will publish a new workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and to ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it. NHS England’s Neuroscience Transformation Programme is supporting integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including providing care closer to home.

NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and RightCare Toolkits aim to improve care for patients with neurological conditions by reducing variation.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a range of guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions for use by healthcare professionals and commissioners. NICE guidance ensures that patients are cared for in a consistently evidence-based way.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish (a) transparent and (b) clearly reported data on hospital admissions and presentations to minor injury clinics due to dog bites, by healthcare trust in Great Britain.

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

NHS England currently publishes data on hospital admissions, including those due to dog bites. This data can be found at the following link:

digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/hospital-admitted-patient-care-activity/2023-24

In 2023/24, in England, there were 10,678 finished admission episodes with an external cause of being bitten or struck by a dog. This data is available nationally and not disaggregated by individual National Health Service trusts or minor injury unit. There are no current plans to change this approach.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support teachers' mental health.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Torbay to the answer of 9 May 2025 to Question 44781​.

Support for local independent businesses, shops, markets and producers

Funding and support for SEND

Carers and social care reform

Introduction of the Hillsborough Law and the 36th anniversary

Government policy on the Hillsborough Law

UK-based medical charities in Palestine

Brian Standring’s fundraising and campaigning in Wellington

Cool hubs

Homelessness

Access to mental health support for children and young people

Funding and role of community pharmacies

Recognition of Wiltshire schools achieving the Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark

Reform of the special educational needs and disabilities system

Overseas-qualified dentists

50th anniversary of the Leatherhead Swans Club

Digital-only immigration status

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome

Pesticides in public spaces

Post Offices in rural areas

Chalk stream river protection

Import of goods from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Found: Q56 Steve Darling: Thank you very much for attending today.

Found: Munt Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Andrew George Daisy Cooper Steff Aquarone Mr Paul Kohler Steve Darling

Found: Munt Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Andrew George Daisy Cooper Steff Aquarone Mr Paul Kohler Steve Darling

Found: Munt Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Andrew George Daisy Cooper Steff Aquarone Mr Paul Kohler Steve Darling

Found: Munt Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Andrew George Daisy Cooper Steff Aquarone Mr Paul Kohler Steve Darling

Found: being pushed into deeper poverty.56 The Liberal Democrat spokesperson for work and pensions, Steve Darling

Found: Munt Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Andrew George Daisy Cooper Steff Aquarone Mr Paul Kohler Steve Darling

Found: Munt Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Andrew George Daisy Cooper Steff Aquarone Mr Paul Kohler Steve Darling

Found: Munt Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Andrew George Daisy Cooper Steff Aquarone Mr Paul Kohler Steve Darling

Found: Munt Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Andrew George Daisy Cooper Steff Aquarone Mr Paul Kohler Steve Darling

Found: Munt Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Andrew George Daisy Cooper Steff Aquarone Mr Paul Kohler Steve Darling

Found: Munt Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Andrew George Daisy Cooper Steff Aquarone Mr Paul Kohler Steve Darling

Found: Munt Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Andrew George Daisy Cooper Steff Aquarone Mr Paul Kohler Steve Darling

Found: Munt Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Andrew George Daisy Cooper Steff Aquarone Mr Paul Kohler Steve Darling

Found: _12 Steve Darling Vikki Slade Caroline Voaden Tom Morrison Liz Jarvis John Milne Andrew George

Found: _12 Steve Darling Vikki Slade Caroline Voaden Tom Morrison Liz Jarvis John Milne Andrew George

Found: Negatived on division_12 Steve Darling Vikki Slade Caroline Voaden Tom Morrison Liz Jarvis John

Found: Miller Tom Morrison Edward Morello Sarah Olney Anna Sabine David Chadwick Munira Wilson Steve Darling

Found: The Chair invites Steve Darling to move Amendment 12, and question put for decision;3 1 Unless the

Found: The Chair invites Steve Darling to move Amendment 12, and question put for decision;3 7.

Submit Evidence (by 29 Sep 2025)

With the disability employment gap persistently at nearly 30%, the Government has announced it will spend an additional £2.2 billion on employment support over the next four years.

Millions of children and parents are served by the Child Maintenance Service. But is it working as effectively as it could be so that the best interests of the child are being met?