Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of mandating three point seatbelts to be fitted on coaches in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) other rural areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport is committed to improving road safety and incidents involving buses and coaches are rare – national casualty statistics indicate that they are one of the safest forms of road transport.
Vehicle construction regulations are applied nationally, rather than on a constituency or other geographic basis, and have required all buses and coaches to be fitted with seat belts since 2001, except for those designed and authorised to carry standing passengers.
In large vehicles where the deceleration forces of a collision are generally lower than for smaller vehicles, a lap belt only is permitted providing other design criteria are met to prevent or limit injury. In smaller vehicles, or where these other design criteria cannot be met, a three-point belt is required.
International vehicle construction requirements, including those covering seat belts, are developed through the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, where they are kept under review to ensure they evolve to continuously drive forward vehicle safety.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to ensure that (a) all cars sold in the UK must have had safety tests undertaken on them that include specifically-female crash dummies in both the driver and passenger seats and (b) data from such tests is (i) recorded and (ii) published.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The latest international vehicle regulations covering frontal impact protection developed under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) currently use a crash test dummy representative of a female occupant in the front passenger seat. The Government is currently considering mandating this regulation in Great Britain as part of an extensive package of vehicle safety measures.
The UNECE has also established a group of experts, in which the Department for Transport is an active member, which is reviewing its Regulations to ensure all vehicle occupants benefit from comparable levels of protection irrespective of their sex, age or stature. This is likely to require testing with a greater number of female occupant locations.
The Department for Transport remains a member of the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP). This programme is complementary to regulation and includes impact tests using crash test dummies representative of a female occupant in the driver and opposite rear passenger seating positions.
Data from regulatory testing is recorded by the Type Approval Authority responsible for approval, but the data is highly technical and not routinely published. Summarised data from Euro NCAP testing is translated into easily understood safety information and is always published on its website - www.euroncap.com
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Royal Medical Colleges on child (a) health and (b) rights in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government remains deeply concerned about the impact of the conflict on children. While there have been no formal meetings with the Royal Medical Colleges on these issues, Ministers regularly engage with medical and humanitarian organisations and continue monitoring their assessments closely. In January 2025, the UK announced £17 million to support the delivery of food, healthcare and shelter via the United Nations Children's Fund, UK-Med and the World Health Organization. This included support for 14,000 children with education and welfare, and over 465,000 medical consultations, many involving paediatric care. We continue pressing for full humanitarian access, the protection of aid workers and remain committed to upholding children's rights in Gaza.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the procurement by the United States Air Force of the E2D Hawkeye aircraft on the intelligence-gathering capability of the (a) US and (b) NATO.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Procurement decisions by any other NATO nation are fully a matter for that nation. NATO standardisation ensures interoperability of other nations equipment with our own sovereign military capabilities.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) his Israeli counterpart, (b) the United Nations and (c) humanitarian organisations on the availability of safe drinking water in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK works closely with partners to provide the delivery of vitally needed humanitarian aid to Gaza. Desalination plants must be able to operate and provide clean drinking water for civilians. In the last financial year, we provided a £2 million uplift, through a contribution to the World Bank, to increase the sustainable supply of water and energy in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including in Gaza. We are proud that UK support has meant over 430,000 people have received essential healthcare, more than 640,000 have received food, and 275,000 people have improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he had had with stakeholders on the potential impact of poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene in low- and middle-income countries on the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government continues to deliver the United Kingdom’s second five-year National Action Plan on Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). The Action Plan recognises the need to support international action on AMR alongside domestic activity, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) which bear a disproportionate burden of infectious disease and AMR.
At the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR in September 2024, the UK championed global agreement on a political declaration that commits member states to reduce global AMR attributed deaths by 10% by 2030. Following extensive consultation with member states and wider stakeholders, the political declaration also commits to international action on improving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in LMICs through improved stewardship, monitoring and surveillance. These commitments were revisited at the 2025 World Health Assembly, where the UK co-chairs the annual Alliance of Champions against AMR meeting with international Health Ministers to discuss shared priorities for addressing AMR.
Globally, we work with partners including the World Bank, UNICEF and WHO to provide data on WASH services in health care facilities to support governments prioritising, planning and mobilising finance to improve WASH.
In November 2024, the UK co-chaired the WHO/UNICEF Global Strategic Network on water, sanitation, hygiene, waste management and electricity in health care facilities, bringing together a range of country officials, health, WASH and energy sector stakeholder to share actions to reduce service gaps in lower-middle- and low-income countries. The Government will continue to hold discussions on AMR and WASH, including with WaterAid UK.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her policy is on the (a) tracking, (b) interception and (c) onboard inspection of vessels suspected of belonging to Russia's shadow fleet when in transit through UK waters.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK Government consistently monitors UK waters to uphold the safety of mariners, the marine environment and the UK’s national security, which includes monitoring of tankers that are suspected of being associated with the movement of Russian oil.
As a signatory of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the UK Government adheres to international maritime law and protects the innocent passage of vessels transiting through UK waters.
Asked by: Lewis Atkinson (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress his Department has made on the rollout of Naloxone supply network coordinators.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Naloxone is a lifesaving medicine that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, including for highly potent synthetic opioids which are growing in prevalence in the United Kingdom. It is more important than ever to increase access to naloxone products, which will save lives.
The Department recently amended the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to further expand access to naloxone. The legislation will mean more services and professionals are able to supply this medication, which in turn means easier access to it for people at risk, and for their loved ones. This legislation came into force in early December 2024.
Route one of the legislation increased the number of services and professionals specified in regulations who can provide ‘take home naloxone’. However, not all services and professions have an agreed statutory definition across the four nations of the UK. As such, route two of the legislation set up the legal framework, which includes supply network coordinators, for the creation of a registration service for services and professions who fall outside of the definitions listed in route one to apply and to be able to provide take home naloxone. The Government is continuing to work with the devolved administrations and front-line services to explore the set-up and delivery of this registration service and to help deliver wider access to naloxone for all who need it.
The Department has also recently published the guidance, Supplying take home naloxone without a prescription, that sets out essential practical information such as who can supply naloxone, the products available, how to use naloxone and other basic lifesaving tools, and the training required. The guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supplying-take-home-naloxone-without-a-prescription
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England took to consult with(a) diving organisations, (b) local health trusts and (c) emergency services in the North East it decided to decommission hyperbaric chamber services in the north of England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has not decided to decommission hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) services in the North of England.
NHS England undertook stakeholder testing and a public consultation on the revised service specification for HBOT services. The main impact of the proposals was the reconfiguration of the number of commissioned HBOT centres in England, from eight centres to six.
The review was led by the chair of the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Clinical Reference Group and the lead commissioner for the service, and was supported by a Specification Working Group (SWG). Membership of the SWG included a patient representative, clinical leads from current commissioned providers, consultants in public health, and members of the British Hyperbaric Association. Specialist advice was sought on relevant inter-dependent services including adult critical care, HM Coastguard, adult critical care transfer services, and children’s services.
Stakeholder testing on the revised service specification took place from 8 June 2024 to 25 June 2024. 14 responses were received, six of which were on behalf of organisations and eight from individuals. Public consultation was carried out from 13 September to 12 October 2024. A total of 923 individuals responded to the public consultation, from across all regions and devolved nations of the United Kingdom.
NHS England actively encourages individuals and organisations to register as stakeholders to ensure a full range of views are included in any service developments. Stakeholders can register their interest in services commissioned by NHS England on their website, which includes a special interest group for HBOT.
Any individuals or organisations who sign up are kept informed when NHS England engages on potential changes to the way that these services are commissioned. NHS England also encourages stakeholders to cascade invitations to provide feedback across their networks.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the UK–Morocco Joint Communiqué of 1 June and the agreement to internal autonomy for the Western Sahara, whether they now recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the territory; and whether that is compatible with their vote for United Nations Security Council Resolution 1754 which endorsed the right of self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 1 June, the Foreign Secretary endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the Western Sahara conflict. The UK's position on the legal status of Western Sahara has not changed. We are clear that any solution to the conflict must be mutually agreed by the parties. The UK continues to support the parties and the UN to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, which conforms with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of respect for self-determination. The UK will encourage dialogue and compromise with the aim of achieving a peaceful and mutually agreed resolution that upholds the dignity and rights of the people of Western Sahara and contributes to long-term regional stability.