Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what learnings she has made from existing best practice in the design of the new programme of Best Start Family Hubs.

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

Drawing on existing best practice, we are delivering Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority from April 2026, backed by stronger national infrastructure, new digital services, and a defined core offer.

The government is setting national direction for family services with clearer expectations, stronger local leadership, and better data. Every local authority will receive funding to enhance and integrate local support, including evidence-based parental support for early development and language, targeted outreach, engagement programmes, and robust digital services.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if She will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of increasing funding for grassroots football on costs to (a) the NHS and (b) local authorities.

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

The Government’s NHS 10 Year Health Plan recognises the importance of physical activity in tackling the nation’s health and relieving NHS pressures. The latest evidence provided by Sport England shows that physical activity directly prevents 3.2 million cases of long term health conditions per year, including 1.3 million cases of depression and 600,000 cases of diabetes, equating to over £10 billion worth of healthcare savings each year.

The FA’s Social Return on Investment 2024 report estimates the 15.7 million participants involved in grassroots football contribute £11.8 billion to society in direct economic value, as well as over £3.2 billion in savings to the NHS through prevention of diseases.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has held recent discussions with the Football Foundation on the level of funding it requires from the Government to (a) plan strategically and (b) implement community projects.

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

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. This funding builds upon the additional £80.3 million being delivered in England this year through the Football Foundation as part of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.

As part of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme’s ongoing delivery, officials are in regular contact with the Football Foundation to understand levels of demand, and how to best plan strategically to deliver community projects - now, and in the future. This includes engaging with the Football Foundation regarding their recently refreshed Local Football Facility Plans, which inform how they plan and target their investment.

In July, I held a roundtable with several of the sector’s National Governing Bodies and the Football Foundation to discuss future funding of community sports. We are continuing to work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, and will then set out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether grassroots football organisations are eligible for public health funding.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Grassroots football organisations can be eligible for local public health funding at the discretion of local authorities, and where the main and primary purpose of spend is on public health.

Core funding for local authorities’ public health responsibilities is funded through the Public Health Grant. This funds a range of health improvement services, such as physical activity and weight management services, and where appropriate, could include funding community organisations that provide grassroots football. Local authorities are responsible for deciding how best to allocate their funding, including their Public Health Grant, to improve the health of their population and fulfil their public health responsibilities.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how to build movement back into everyday life and includes £400 million of Government investment into new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities that promote health, wellbeing, and community cohesion.

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 improve funding for grassroots football facilities.

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

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That’s why the Government is investing £98 million throughout 2025/26 to build and upgrade pitches and facilities UK wide. Funding from the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme is invested in England through Sport England and our delivery partner, the Football Foundation. The Football Foundation plans their investment pipeline based on Local Football Facility Plans which have been developed in partnership with local authorities, community FAs and other sport stakeholders.

On top of this, we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years.

The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sports and health club facilities in England, through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, and will then set out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

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 her Department plans to provide for plastic reprocessing infrastructure in each of the next three years; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of that funding on (a) trends in the level of (i) landfill, (ii) incineration and (iii) domestic recycling capacity.

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

Defra currently has no plans to fund plastics reprocessing infrastructure. There are existing mechanisms including the market-based Packaging Waste Recycling Notes (PRN) system to provide direct funding to the reprocessing sector.

This year sees the start of Defra’s packaging reforms. Simpler Recycling mandates that all local authorities and businesses in England collect the same core set of materials for recycling. These reforms will support private investment in infrastructure, including plastics, by building certainty and guaranteeing supply of materials for recycling. Simpler Recycling requirements will be extended to flexible plastics by 31 March 2027.

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 (a) design innovation and (b) the recyclability of plastic products to help accelerate the the transition to a circular economy for plastics.

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

This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives.

The Government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish for consultation in the coming months. As we develop our Circular Economy Strategy for England, we will consider the evidence for further action that can be taken to address the challenges associated with plastic products. We recognise the importance of managing and reducing plastic waste, and in taking a whole-economy approach.

To support the recyclability of plastic products, the Government funds the UK Plastics Pact (UKPP) through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Pact Members cover the entire plastics value chain and are responsible for the majority of plastic packaging sold through UK supermarkets, and around two thirds of total plastic packaging placed on the UK market. Members of the Pact have increased the average recycled content of their packaging from 8.5% to 26% since 2018.

In parallel, our reforms to the packaging sector and recycling collection systems will clamp down on plastic pollution and litter and clean up our environment with packaging for Extended Producer Responsibility in particular incentivising the use of less packaging and more recyclable packaging.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) reviewed research on the potential (i) environmental and (ii) health impact of (A) microplastics and (B) nanoplastics on (1) ecosystems and (2) food chains.

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

In 2022, Defra initiated a research project to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics, which reviewed the emissions from microplastics, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. Earlier this year, we published this Option Appraisal for Intentionally Added Microplastics, which provides a welcome addition to our sum of knowledge on the options to protect human health and the UK environment from the risks of microplastics.

The Environment Agency (EA) is supporting collaborative research which will support future policy and regulatory decisions on microplastics and nanoplastics by extension. This includes six investigations with the water industry under the Chemical Investigations Programme, considering generation of microplastics within wastewater treatment works through breakdown of plastic equipment, emerging sewage treatment technologies, and pathways of microplastics from biosolids applied to land to soils and groundwater. The EA is also conducting research into tyre wear particles and associated chemicals – one report has been published this year and another is due to be published later this year. The EA is also supporting National Highways and academic partners on research into microplastics generated during driving and strategies to intercept them in highway runoff. While the EA’s research is driven by environmental risk, the data could benefit public health risk assessment by the relevant bodies.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) continues to monitor and assess emerging data regarding microplastics in food. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products, and the Environment (COT), an independent scientific committee that provides advice to the FSA and other Government departments is currently considering the issue of microplastics. The COT has previously concluded that the available data was insufficient for a complete assessment. The FSA is keeping the issue of microplastics under review as new evidence becomes available.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of biodiversity net gain requirements on the (a) cost and (b) timeline for the development of grassroots sports facilities.

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

The Government has recently concluded a consultation on improving the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for minor, medium and brownfield development. It sought views on a potential partial exemption to BNG for parks, public gardens and playing fields development. Responses are being analysed, and the Government will publish a response to the consultation in due course.

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 make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting (a) parks, (b) gardens and (c) playing fields from biodiversity net gain requirements.

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

The Government has recently concluded a consultation on improving the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for minor, medium and brownfield development. It sought views on a potential partial exemption to BNG for parks, public gardens and playing fields development. Responses are being analysed, and the Government will publish a response to the consultation in due course.

Found: proposed amendments Amendment NC 82 Planning and Infrastructure Bill The Amendment was led by Tom Hayes