Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many recorded incidents of fly-tipping in each of the last five years took place in or adjacent to areas designated as (a) Sites of Special Scientific Interest, (b) Special Protection Areas and (c) Special Areas of Conservation.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fly-tipping (or the illegal dumping of waste) should generally be reported to the relevant local authority wherever it occurs (see guidance at https://www.gov.uk/report-flytipping). Local authorities and the Environment Agency have existing powers to require landowners to clear fly-tipped waste from their land.
With regard to statutory protected sites ie (a) Sites of Special Scientific Interest, (b) Special Protection Areas and (c) Special Areas of Conservation, Natural England would be dependent on direct observations or reports shared from other public bodies or other stakeholders. Please note that all non-marine Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation will be underpinned by Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England may be more likely to be informed about incidents within protected sites than adjacent to. The numbers of ‘dumping cases’* recorded by Natural England from the last five years are shown in the table below:
Year | No. Dumping cases |
2018-22 | 10 |
2022-23 | 3 |
2023-24 | 0 |
2024-25 | 6 |
This is based on Natural England’s casework tracker and published enforcement reports, which does not easily enable cases to be listed separately by protected site type. These cases will relate to Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
* Natural England does not explicitly record fly tipping but it is recorded within a ‘Dumping’ category which could also include land owners using sites to store waste.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to educate children on the safe use of social media.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As part of statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), pupils are taught about online safety and harms, including the implications of sharing private or personal data online, and the risks associated with over-reliance on social media.
The department published updated RSHE guidance in July 2025, including new content on artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and how social media can escalate conflicts. Pupils should be taught how to identify when social media is used as part of bullying, harassment and other forms of abusive and/or illegal behaviour, and how to recognise and manage peer influence on social media in relation to risk-taking behaviour and personal safety. The department’s guidance on teaching online safety covers how to teach about all aspects of internet safety.
In response to the recently published Curriculum and Assessment Review, we are committed to strengthening digital and media literacy in the updated national curriculum. Full details of the final report are accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-final-report.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the East of England APPG and Local Government East's report entitled Opportunity East One Year On, published on 19 November 2025.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Opportunity East: One Year On makes a strong case for the East of England and the role it can play in driving growth and prosperity, and we welcome the efforts of the APPG and Local Government East in raising the profile of the region and highlighting its great potential. We will consider the report with interest as we take forward our mission to kickstart growth across the country.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the technical difficulties affecting Ukrainian Visa Extension scheme applications will be resolved.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
UKVI is not aware of any current technical issues impacting the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme. In rare circumstances, applications submitted to UKVI may encounter technical difficulties, which are not related to one specific area. Once identified, UKVI strives to resolve these issues as quickly as possible, however, timescales depend on each application’s individual issues.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what number per year of Chinese foreign students were withdrawn from training courses at (a) BRNC Dartmouth, (b) RMA Sandhurst and (c) RAFC Cranwell since 2010; and under what circumstances they were withdrawn.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member's Question. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will have discussions with the Mayor of London on introducing a statutory right to the Older Person's Freedom Pass for eligible residents in areas served by Transport for London.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Transport in London is a devolved matter for London, and it is for the Mayor of London to make decisions on eligibility of concessionary fares on the TfL network.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what number per year of Chinese foreign students completed training courses at (a) BRNC Dartmouth, (b) RMA Sandhurst and (c) RAFC Cranwell, since 2010.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member's Question. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the Department.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Ministry of Defence accounts 2024-25, what did the Melorius write-off and constructive losses of £12,552,000 relate to.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Initiated to replace an in-service capability, MELORIUS was a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Medical Countermeasure project to rapidly develop and provide immediate treatment to a person exposed to a Nerve Agent.
A Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) product became available during the development stage of the project, following changes in the commercial market. Project MELORIUS was re-evaluated and a decision was made to stop further development, with funds reinvested into procuring a COTS solution. This represented the best value for money for the taxpayer, a low-risk option and significantly reduced the delivery timescales.
The constructive loss of £12,552,000 was incurred during the active management of stopping project MELORIUS. It relates to the safe disposal of 110,000 medical devices, a necessary up-front purchase, and the associated costs of development and testing of the products.
In delivering the best capabilities for our Armed Forces, it is vital that we continually review the market and emerging technologies for ways to enhance our current offering, to ensure that our troops have what they need to operate effectively and the ability to respond to evolving threats.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on special measures for local authorities not meeting statutory requirements for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes annual SEN2 data on education, health and care (EHC) plans and assessments, including timeliness. This informs performance monitoring and targeted support. Where a council does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement, including through issuing improvement notices or statutory directions to drive urgent improvements.
The department works with NHS England, to support and intervene in areas of poor performance following inspection.
Recent changes to the Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) framework conducted by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, in consultation with the department and the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, include specifying which member of the partnership should take forward areas for improvement or areas for priority action. This would include areas for improvement and priority action being directed specifically to health where appropriate.
We will work together with all stakeholders to understand the impact of any SEND reforms on Area SEND inspections and changes needed as a result of these reforms.