Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of supporting the restoration of plantations on ancient woodland sites.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has committed to restoring plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) back to semi-natural woodland habitat. There are approximately 365,000 hectares (ha) of ancient woodland in England of which approximately 150,000 ha are under plantation. Forestry England has committed to restoring all 42,814 ha of their PAWS to ancient, semi-natural woodland. Restoration work has been carried out on over 20,000 ha of PAWS in the last ten years with over 16,000 ha now having a canopy that is predominantly native.
Defra has improved the support for PAWS restoration on private land through the Higher Tier of the Countryside Stewardship scheme. This includes additional payments for restoration. In its first three years, the Countryside Stewardship grant ‘Manage and restore plantations on ancient woodland sites’ has been taken up across 2,100 hectares of PAWS. The Government is also supporting the establishment of new woodlands both for nature recovery and to produce timber.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department collects information on whether claimants have caring responsibilities when they register for out of work benefits.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
During the application process for Universal Credit the applicant is asked whether they are caring for someone with a health condition or disability. Information is not collected as part of a claim for New Style Jobseekers Allowance as it is not relevant for the award.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to use disused defence estate for the purposes of veterans' (a) rehabilitation and (b) accommodation to help tackle (i) veteran homelessness, (ii) barriers to accessing mental health support and (iii) access to employment support.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Ministry of Defence (MOD) land, that is surplus to Defence requirements, is disposed of in accordance with MOD Policy, which is mandated by HM Treasury guidelines, in order to achieve best value for the taxpayer.
This government is committed to ensuring that veterans and their families are easily able to access support on a wide range of issues, when and where it is needed. Late last year we launched a new Veterans Strategy which recognises veterans as a national asset and resets the nation’s relationship with those who have served.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that net migration statistics clarify the distinction between (a) new entrants, (b) visa extensions and (c) visa category switches.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon lady Parliamentary Question of 17th March is attached.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 59 of her Department's document entitled Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls, Volume 1: Strategy, published on 18 December 2025, whether her discussions with stakeholders on the misuse of joint financial products will include domestic abuse service providers.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
In the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, HM Treasury undertook work with key stakeholders to explore how joint mortgages are used as a tool of abuse and how victims and survivors can be better supported.
The Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy considers economic abuse as a key theme in recognition of the particular challenges victim-survivors’ can face in accessing financial products and services. This includes exploring how joint mortgages are used as a tool of abuse and how victims and survivors can be better supported. As part of this, HM Treasury are working closely with charity Surviving Economic Abuse who have been appointed a member of the Financial Inclusion Committee going forward to help inform the delivery of key interventions.
In addition, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) also held lived experience sessions with victim-survivors of economic abuse as part of their Mortgages Rule Review which HM Treasury also engaged in.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent trends in (a) visa extensions and (b) visa switches on her Department’s net migration targets.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes a variety of analysis considering the impact of the visa system on net migration. Home Office Impact Assessments and wider analysis can be found here: Migration analysis at the Home Office - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to review the commencement date of interest accruing on student loans.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We inherited the student loans system, including Plan 2, which was devised by the previous government. Threshold freezes have been introduced to protect taxpayers and students now, alongside future generations of learners and workers.
Borrowers on Plan 5 student loans only accrue interest at Retail Price Index, currently 3.2%. This means graduates will not repay more than they borrow in real terms.
Interest accrues on loan balances from the first day the loan is paid to the learning provider, and/or to the student, until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the answer to Question 110629 on 9 February, what assessment his Department has given to the potential merits of exempting charities from sections of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act 2024 relating to the (a) subscription regime and (b) 14 day cooling off period.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government has consulted on the implementation of the subscriptions regime in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The consultation received over 70 responses including 15 from charitable organisations, and the government has engaged closely with the sector to understand the impacts on both consumers and these bodies.
The requirement for an initial 14 day cooling off period is an existing requirement under the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 for distance and off-premises contracts.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to offer routine mammography through the NHS for men who (a) have a personal history of breast cancer and (b) who are otherwise at high risk of developing breast cancer.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Men who have had breast cancer themselves should be followed up by the clinical services who cared for them while they had breast cancer.
General practitioners (GPs) can refer symptomatic men for tests and scans at a breast clinic including a chest examination, mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. In addition, GPs can refer men to a genetics clinic for assessment if they think someone is at increased risk. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer-in-men/tests-and-next-steps-for-breast-cancer-in-men/
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has never been asked to examine breast screening for men at high risk. Any person or organisation can submit a proposal for a new screening topic during the UK NSC’s three-month open call process, which will next run from 1 July 2026 to 30 September 2026.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of teachers' wellbeing on their ability to deliver high quality teaching.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole to the answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115068.