Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of schools in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency that will require capital adjustments to deliver expanded breakfast provision under the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department has so far successfully delivered 5 million meals through 750 early adopter free breakfast clubs and schools have told us about the many benefits these clubs provide including improved attendance, behaviour and attainment.
We have seen our early adopters successfully manage space constrains and we continue to encourage local authorities, responsible bodies, academy trusts, schools and providers to work together to solve problems collaboratively, ensuring the needs of parents and children are met.
Schools have flexibility to decide where to deliver their provision, in accordance with the minimum expectations. They are expected to consider all space available onsite, including classrooms. Alternatively, they can opt to offer the provision offsite at a nearby venue. Schools will receive a £1000 start-up grant to spend on any equipment, materials, training and infrastructure and systems needed to deliver.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make a comparative assessment of the potential impact of levels of [a] standard and [b] hospitality VAT on the sustainability of the hospitality industry in [i] France, [ii] Germany, [iii] Italy and [iv] the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth and social life in the UK.
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Providing further VAT relief or introducing new reduced rates would reduce tax revenue and add further complexity to the tax system.
Furthermore, HMRC estimates that the cost of a 5 per cent reduced rate for accommodation, hospitality and tourist attractions would be around £17bn in 2026-27. This would reduce VAT revenue, which pays for public services, by almost 10%.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she plans to update Parliament on future expansions of the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, including whether refined petroleum products are under consideration for inclusion.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
For the introduction of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in January 2027, the UK has focused on the sectors most at risk of carbon leakage within scope of the UK ETS, and where it is technically feasible to include products in scope.
As announced at Budget 2025, the government is considering the feasibility and impacts of including refined products in the CBAM in future.
The sectoral scope of the CBAM will be kept under review beyond 2027 as new evidence comes to light to reflect methodological and technological advances.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending freezes on income tax and national insurance thresholds on working people in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) setting out the impact of maintaining income tax and equivalent National Insurance contributions thresholds.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support councils to improve recycling rates.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Simpler Recycling reforms will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school.
Every household and workplace (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises like schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal, glass, plastic (including cartons), paper and card, food waste, and garden waste (for households only).
These reforms will make recycling easier and ensure there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will reduce confusion with recycling to improve recycling rates and, with the other collection and packaging reforms, will support the use of more recycled material in the products we buy, and the growth of the UK recycling industry.
By shifting the financial burden of the end-of-life costs from taxpayers to producers, Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging will secure local authority funding (approximately £1.4 billion annually in the UK and approximately £1.1 billion annually in England) for the improved management of discarded packaging materials, driving in turn improvements in the quality and quantity of recycled packaging materials, as well as investment in domestic reprocessing facilities.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 87556 on Academies: Electric Vehicles, if the findings of the cross-government review on public sector salary sacrifice schemes will be made publicly available.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Salary sacrifice rules governing the public sector are set out in section 1.5 of the Public sector pay and terms: guidance note: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d3596bded915d0d0f8d5565/190702_Public_sector_pay_and_terms.pdf
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish the Ten-year pipeline of projected bus orders.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department is planning to publish the ten-year pipeline of projected orders shortly.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of health visiting on the Government’s target of raising the healthiest generation of children ever.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. The child health workforce, including health visiting teams, are central to how we support families to give their children the best start in life.
Health visitors lead the Healthy Child Programme, England’s universal, community-based public health programme for children and families. The work of health visitors enables early intervention and prevents the need for high-cost NHS treatments down the line. Their impact is vital to realising both our ambition to raising the healthiest generation of children ever and the shifts from hospital to community, and treatment to prevention.
As set out in the Best Start in Life strategy, the Government has committed to strengthening health visiting services so that all families have access to high-quality, support they need.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to develop a national service framework or equivalent long-term strategy for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, as well as an overall quality strategy, the National Quality Board is overseeing the development of a new series of service frameworks to accelerate progress in conditions where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.
Early priorities include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia. The Government will consider other long-term conditions with significant health and economic impacts for future waves of modern service frameworks.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98126, on DSIT: Public Appointments, whether any of the Direct Ministerial Appointments made a declaration of political activity when appointed.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
All Direct Ministerial appointees must complete a declaration of interest form before their appointment can be finalised. If appointees declare any political activity, the detail is reviewed, assessed for risk and appropriate mitigations implemented where necessary.