Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to issue guidance to local planning authorities on maintaining mobile connectivity where redevelopment affects existing telecommunications infrastructure.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 124803 on 20 April 2026.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has considered extending the permitted period for the temporary relocation of telecommunications apparatus following redevelopment-related site loss.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 124803 on 20 April 2026.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of redevelopment-related loss of telecommunications sites on the continuity of mobile coverage in urban areas.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 124803 on 20 April 2026.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much National Highways has spent on its in-house external affairs work since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways spent approximately £1.9 million on its in-house external affairs function between 4 July 2024 and 31 May 2026. This reflects staff costs and associated contracts for the External Affairs team over that period.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding is available to local authorities in England to develop (a) new and (b) restored outdoor public swimming facilities, including lidos; and what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of that funding to meet public demand for safe, accessible and affordable outdoor swimming provision.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities.
The ongoing responsibility for providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.
In June last year, we committed £400 million to transform sports facilities, including public leisure, across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increases in court expenditure on (a) court efficiency and (b) case resolution times.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We are investing at record levels in the courts, including a landmark settlement of £2.78 billion for courts and tribunals in 2026/27.
We are also investing in uncapped Crown Court sitting days, court buildings and technology, and in legal professionals with a significant funding uplift in legal aid.
But the Independent Review of Criminal Courts is clear that investment alone, whilst important, is not enough. Only by pulling every lever we have – investment, efficiency and reform – can we reduce the backlog to acceptable levels and begin to deliver faster and fairer justice.
Asked by: Alan Gemmell (Labour - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the UK's priorities are for this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working closely with Commonwealth partners to ensure this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda addresses the challenges of today's world, in particular delivering increased intra-Commonwealth trade, investment and economic security, strengthening the Commonwealth's commitment to democracy, and deepening collaboration on protecting the environment.
We will set out our priorities for other future international meetings in the usual way in due course, including next year's G20 summit.
Asked by: Alan Gemmell (Labour - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the UK's priorities are for its G20 leadership.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working closely with Commonwealth partners to ensure this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda addresses the challenges of today's world, in particular delivering increased intra-Commonwealth trade, investment and economic security, strengthening the Commonwealth's commitment to democracy, and deepening collaboration on protecting the environment.
We will set out our priorities for other future international meetings in the usual way in due course, including next year's G20 summit.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support is available to local authorities to promote low-emission public transport initiatives.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has given local transport authorities in England over £21bn in multi-year funding settlements to spend on local transport outcomes. This gives local transport authorities more flexibility to spend money according to their local priorities, including low-emission public transport. The Department has supported the bus sector with almost £500m in direct funding for zero-emission buses (ZEBs), including up to £73.2m additional funding announced in March to support the delivery of 484 ZEBs in England, on top of £38 million announced last April.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she will conduct an assessment of the potential impact on regional connectivity from differing levels of transport investment between mayoral and non-mayoral combined authorities.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are committed to evaluating the range of funding programmes and policies across local transport, and we are engaging with MHCLG on the approach to evaluation for places with integrated settlements. Additionally, we are using the Department's Connectivity Tool, which measures an area’s connectivity to support the analysis. More details on the Connectivity Tool can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/connectivity-tool.