Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assess and monitor the quality of revenue protection services provided by publicly managed train operators; what assessment they have made of whether railway byelaws and the British Railways Act 1989 are being used proportionately and appropriately; and what training they are providing to publicly run train operators to ensure consistency and appropriate use of those regulations.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Our priority is to ensure that fare evasion is addressed, with passengers treated fairly and in accordance with the correct procedures. DFT Operator (DFTO) has reviewed the revenue protection practices of its operators to ensure they are acting consistently and in accordance with legislation. Before an operator enters public ownership, DFTO reviews their practices and prepares to take any action that is required to align activity as appropriate. The Office for Rail and Road carried out a review of revenue protection, and we have accepted all of their recommendations. The Department will publish an update on this in due course which will outline the actions we and industry are taking to ensure revenue protection is addressed.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recognition and support they will give to schemes that promote conservation and recovery of threatened native species, including the harvest dormouse, the large heath butterfly and other endangered species.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are committed to delivering our statutory biodiversity targets including supporting the recovery of threatened species such as the harvest dormouse and large heath butterfly. A key delivery programme for threatened species in England is Natural England’s (NE) Species Recovery Programme which, since the early 1990s, has funded targeted action for over 1000 species and prevented the national extinction of at least 35.
From April 2023 to March 2026, the Species Recovery Programme allocated £32.2 million to projects which supported recovery of more than 600 species. In October 2025, NE launched a call for ideas for projects to be funded by the Programme. Shortlisted projects will shortly be invited to apply for funding over the next three years.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria her Department plans to use to differentiate between small and large farms in assessing eligibility for future SFI applications.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department will publish a precise definition before the first application window opens in June. This is one of the details we’ll be testing with key stakeholders.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to help tackle the cost of ferry journeys between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Ferry services between Great Britain and Northern Ireland operate in a commercial and competitive market without intervention from the Government. The Department for Transport has no plans to subsidise ferry services between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of jobs in rural areas that will be affected by a ban on trail hunting.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department intends to launch a consultation seeking views on how to deliver a ban on trail hunting. The responses to that consultation will be used to inform our assessment of the potential impact of a ban on trail hunting on the economy in rural communities.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of a ban on trail hunting on the economy in rural communities.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department intends to launch a consultation seeking views on how to deliver a ban on trail hunting. The responses to that consultation will be used to inform our assessment of the potential impact of a ban on trail hunting on the economy in rural communities.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the post-implementation review of the Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution (England) Regulations 2018.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will publish the statutory report into this important regulation (known as the Farming rules for Water) in due course.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rise in the UK unemployment rate to 5.1 per cent between August and October 2025; and what steps they are taking to support employment opportunities for young people.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK’s unemployment rate is now 5.1%.
But since the start of 2025 363,000 more people are in employment – outweighing the increase in unemployment over the same period (280,000).
At the end of the last Government the UK was the only country with economic inactivity higher - rather than lower - than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, we have seen a significant fall in economic inactivity as people reengage with the labour market. Our economic inactivity rate (21.0%) has fallen to its joint lowest level in over five years (and was last lower in January to March 2020).
The Government’s number one mission is to grow the economy and raise living standards across the UK. However, almost one million young people across the UK are currently not in education, employment, or training (NEET). That is why our manifesto set out the ambition to transform young people’s prospects by ensuring every one of them has the chance to earn or learn through a Youth Guarantee.
We have already taken the first steps towards delivering a Youth Guarantee, to ensure that all 16–24-year-olds in Great Britain can access support to find work, training, or an apprenticeship. We have launched Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, announced funding to almost double our Youth Hubs across Great Britain, and we recently launched an Independent Report into Young People and Work, to identify potential areas for reform to better support young people with health conditions and disabilities.
We are now going further through an expansion of the Youth Guarantee. This expansion is backed by a £820 million investment over the Spending Review period to reach almost 900,000 young people, including through Youth Hubs in every area in Great Britain and a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, offering a dedicated session and follow-up support to 16-24–year-olds on Universal Credit. This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training and provide guaranteed jobs to around 55,000 young people aged 18-21.
Taken together, these measures show the Government’s commitment to backing young people, transforming lives, driving the economy and ensuring background is no barrier to success. Delivered in partnership with local government and devolved authorities, they will ensure no young person falls through the cracks.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of aviation safety assurance arrangements when an approved maintenance organisation becomes insolvent.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Aviation safety is a government priority.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), in its capacity as a regulator, does not hold any financial or commercial interest in aviation organisations. The CAA remains independent in its actions, including during any period of insolvency or restructuring.
If an approved maintenance organisation enters insolvency or a period of financial difficulties, the UK CAA may decide to increase the frequency and level of oversight, including unannounced audits, to ensure that it remains compliant.
If the CAA are notified of a senior management change or change in the financial situation of an approved maintenance organisation, that organisation will need to demonstrate to the UK CAA that the Accountable Manager has the necessary funding allocation for the intended maintenance activities carried out under its approval. If an organisation cannot meet these requirements, approval is suspended immediately.
To address concerns raised on the potential impact of non-disclosure agreements in the aviation sector, the aviation workforce has multiple means of raising collective safety concerns. The UK CAA has established a range of reporting channels, including mandatory and voluntary incident reporting and dedicated whistleblowing routes.
Staff working for industries regulated by the CAA can also use the Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP) service at any time to raise concerns confidentially.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children's homes that are privately owned and operated.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As at 31 March 2025, 84% (3,360) of all children’s homes were privately owned and operated.
Ofsted publish annual data on children’s social care in England. This includes data on the number of homes and the different types of social care providers. The latest data is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childrens-social-care-in-england-2025.
The government is taking forward work to reshape the children’s social care placement’s market, including increasing the number of foster carers so that more children can be looked after in family-based environments and encouraging more non-profit, local authority, and social investment backed providers to enter the market.